High Hopes In Velvet Ropes
by bubblebuttsbabe
Summary: AU Jommy - The morning after a meaningless hook up, a song is written. The song starts a battle and instead of using it to their advantage, they fight it - and each other. But how long can you fight something or someone - before you finally give in?
1. Preview: Teasers

**A/N**: I know, I know. I have other stories that need updating. I know. I'm working on all of them, swear. But I – I really like this one! LOL.

Anyway, this is just a preview so…who knows…it might not even work out like I want it to.

This came from a song as most of my stuff does.

**Summary**: AU (Jommy) - The morning after a meaningless hook up, a song is written. That song started a battle and instead of using it to their advantage, they fought it - and each other. But how long can you fight something or someone - before you finally give in?

**Inspiration**: Song – "High Hopes In Velvet Ropes" by The Cab. Check them out!

**Disclaimer**: This stands for the entire fic – I don't own the songs that I'm using. I don't own anything related to Instant Star. I don't anything alcohol or club-related. I don't own anything music-related. I will, however, own a couple characters that you will see some time soon. Other than that…if I don't say it's mine – it most likely isn't (even if I wish it was). :D

**R&R or R&L please!**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Preview

"Teasers"

_So what? He hadn't been out prowling the scene in a few months. Nothing was wrong with him. He just wasn't in the mood._

_When that thought passed through his head, he knew. Something_ was _wrong._

- - - - - -

_This is what her night had come to: talking to herself._

_Something was wrong._

_- - - - - -_

_Instantly, a woman ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. He was caught off guard and stood there for a second, trying to process what had happened._

"_Just follow my lead," the woman whispered into his ear._

- - - - - -

_As if his work life wasn't bad enough, his personal life was hell._

_While he usually relished in the subsequent appearances in the tabloids after his late night rendezvous, one night in particular made it all go downhill._

- - - - - -

"_I could have shown you a good time," he whispered next to her ear._

_Jude froze, her breath shortening on its own accord._

- - - - - -

_He bent down and placed a light kiss on her cheek. Before standing up again, he whispered, "I love a woman in charge."_

- - - - - -

_Jude rolled her eyes. "I don't need sex."_


	2. Prologue: Premise

**A/N**: I'm glad you guys like this...I have finished going over Chapter 1 for the 3rd time, so I felt it was only right that you guys got the Prologue.

This came from a song as most of my stuff does. The song won't be introduced for a couple chapters, but in order for it to come out…some things have to happen first. Like people meeting and…stuff.

So here is the _stuff_.

I don't usually beta my stuff (unless I feel I really need to), so all the mistakes here are my own.

Oh…and I'm _dedicating this entire fic_ to: **anothercasualty**. She rocks, plain and simple. :D

**THANKS**:

leytonfan30: Yay! Thank you! I will…I am – can you believe it…the next day?! LOL.

theonlywhitegirl: I'm so glad! Thank you!

anothercasualty: LOL. I really really thought about this…and then the excitement won over and I said, "What the hell?!" I'm glad you like this. That was very clever. I like it. Oh, you are so welcome, Anna! I hope you like this!

Jenn6891: I'm glad it sounds interesting. That's what I want! I hope you like this!

**Inspiration**: Song – **"High Hopes In Velvet Ropes" by The Cab**. Check them out!

**Disclaimer**: Uh, I have a personal connection to the name Marie - but this is obviously a different character than the one I have (also named Marie) in "Goodnight, Goodnight." The Marie here will only show up in the Prologue and a little bit in Chapter 1. Oh, I don't own Jack Daniels or Coca Cola. And, oh! I also don't own Freddie Prinze Jr. or the movie, Summer Catch (bad movie, but really really hot guys, btw).

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Prologue

"Premise"

"Come with me," he had said, cornering him earlier that day. "I need a wingman or something." And being that he was his best friend, he obliged. To humor him. To help him. To get him off his back.

So what? He hadn't been out prowling the scene in a few months. Nothing was wrong with him. He just wasn't in the mood.

When that thought passed through his head, he knew. Something _was_ wrong.

Mood? It wasn't a mood. It was a lifestyle. One he had grown very accustomed to.

Wake up. Work. Hit a club. Drink 'til his liver quivered. Drop a line on every girl walking by, then see if anyone was biting. Heh, who was he kidding? They were _always_ biting. And once it happened, he was done.

He'd ask them to leave and once they said yes, they were off to their place.

He wasn't stupid. He kept this life separate from his personal one. It was his surefire way of keeping things clean; he hated messes.

But up until late, his life had become a giant mess.

Up until a few days ago, he had been one of the most sought after producers in Canada. It wasn't that he wasn't sought after anymore. It was that his job title had changed.

He was now one of Downbeat's newest solo artists. He had his dream back.

A dream he had long thought disappeared, but apparently the musical gods thought his karma was good enough now.

Maybe it had to do with all the shit he was going through with his former angelic artists. The ones that didn't know he was no longer producing them. The ones he was trying to forget about for the time being. The ones that he would eventually have to sit down and talk to.

The ones that were now a pain in his ass.

Since the acquisition of G-Major, his career at Downbeat had gotten more and more frustrating. When the official announcement had been made, he knew he had heard crickets. He was pretty sure that his artists were not too excited about the situation.

They were not so thrilled with the idea of new kids strutting on their turf.

But they needed to deal with it.

Like he was.

To top it off, they were becoming more and more diva-ish, complaining when he asked them to stay a bit longer to clean up a song, yelling at baristas when their lattes were too cold, and refusing to come out of dressing rooms when their attire wasn't up to par.

If he hadn't been in their place years prior, he would have thought differently. But he knew better.

Much better.

It was the instant taste of fame.

All five of his artists had instant chart topper singles, even before their albums were released.

And though he was happy that the music he helped produced was sky-rocketing to oblivion, he also knew better than anyone that fame was costly and pan flashing.

If they didn't play their cards right, they could be the next one hit wonders.

But it didn't matter what his job title was or how horrible his artists were acting, he wasn't going to let that happen.

He was professional for God sakes and he was going to have them worked whether they liked it or not.

It was his job. Or at least it used to be.

As if his work life wasn't bad enough, his personal life was hell.

While he usually relished in the subsequent appearances in the tabloids after his late night rendezvous, one night in particular made it all go downhill.

He had spent the night at some redhead's place who thought she was cool enough to drive his Viper to get coffee.

Not only was he livid that she took his car, he was slightly pissed that she had taken his clothes.

Needless to say, he ended up on the front page of Talk National wearing a sparkly yellow banana hammock ala Freddie Prinze Jr. in Summer Catch.

His fan sites nearly crashed with the insane amount of hits they had gotten that day, but it was his ego that took a nose dive.

Every person he came in contact with had something to say.

And it was because he didn't want to make another lapse in judgment again that he stayed away from the scene.

But as he leaned back, resting his head against the firmest breasts money could buy; he threw his shame out the window and had the bottle service host refill his class.

It was gonna be a good night.

- - - - - -

This was her idea. Her night of release.

Then why the hell couldn't her hands stop shaking?

_Calm down, calm down, calm down_, she thought.

If she needed a mantra to get through the night, then that was going to be it.

She needed this night.

Work was becoming incredibly grating and she wasn't having as much fun as she thought she would be. This whole rockstar thing was not as easy as it looked.

There was also the added fact that she had to meet with the new bosses tomorrow. Ones she was pretty sure were going to work her even more than now.

As her black boot tapped impatiently on the travertine tile, her patience began to wear thin. "Could you take any longer?" she yelled.

"Probably," came the reply from upstairs.

"Smart ass," she murmured, turning around. The leather wrap around couch sitting in front of her had four people sitting on it, looking as incredibly bored as she felt. _What the hell_ -

"Look, it's my first night out…"

She bobbed her head back and forth mockingly. "And I want to have the most fun. So I have to look the part. Blah. Blah. Blah," she retorted in unison with her friend, her pitch an octave higher. She leaned against the wall opposite the front door and folded her arms.

Mason started to snicker at one end of the couch, trying to lessen the boredom, but was cut off by a shout.

"Hey! I'm done."

Patsy Sewer's head shot to her right and her eyes widened. Her friend looked good. Really good. Although she never would have said it herself.

"Finally…" she drawled, as the four people behind her jumped up. "Shit."

She pushed herself off of the wall and walked straight to the door.

"Bite me," her friend replied.

Holding open the door, Patsy looked over her shoulder. "No, I'll leave that for someone else to do tonight," she said, smirking.

"Funny," Jude Harrison said dryly.

Patsy didn't responded, leaving the door for Jude to lock.

The group walked out of the Harrison household, the house Sadie and Jude had bought from their divorced parents, and piled into the idle Hummer limo waiting by the curb.

Jude sat squeezed between Karma, her former enemy turned friend, and Patsy, her rock guru.

Opposite them sat her sister Sadie, sandwiched between Mason, the second Instant Star and gay cowboy, and Kat, Jude's BFF since grade school.

Jude noticed as she looked around that the most important girls in her life were packaged in black armor. The sight made the mixed feelings of anxiousness and nervousness that had risen in her less noticeable.

The limo pulled away from the curb and started to make its trek downtown.

Jude spent most of the limo ride, glancing out the windows, trying to dissipate any restlessness. This was her night and she was going to have fun.

If only her stomach would stop somersaulting.

Slowly, the limo came to a stop, but Jude hadn't noticed yet. It wasn't until Patsy shoved an elbow in her side that she glanced at the open door. Bright light flooded the dim limo and it took a few seconds for Jude's eyes to adjust.

As she stepped out of the limo, Sadie took her arm and pushed her toward the security guard. The tall man dressed in all black gave her one long glance and then winked before turning back toward the street.

Jude took it as her cue to enter the club.

Instantly, a chill went down Jude's spine; she wasn't cold, she was excited. Feeling the transfer of energy from the night to her own body, Jude smiled.

Her night had just begun. And she was going to make damn sure it was good one.

* * *

Preview:

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter One

"Loosen Up"

_Spied rolled his eyes and extended his hand again. "Come on, loosen up."_

- - - - - -

"_Hi," he said, his voice husky, his breath dancing against Jude's face. "I'm Allan."_

_Jude's eyes widened and she sucked in a short breath. Oh. My. God._

- - - - - -

_Spied smirked widely. "Cute, but I think I'm going to prove you wrong, Dude."_

- - - - - -

_Tommy's eyes danced and a smirk grew on his face. "Who's cranky now?"_

_Jutting out her jaw in annoyance, Jude replied, "Look, I appreciate you helping me out and everything, but – "_

"_But, you need to loosen up," he said honestly._


	3. Chapter 1: Loosen Up

**A/N: **I had a change of heart as far as pacing went and the extra chapter won out. So next chapter really sets things up.

However, that being said, I don't know if the rest of the chapters will be as long as this one. I just know all of this had to stay in this chapter or else my pacing wouldn't work.

I'm gonna start on Chapter 3 now so I hope it won't be long before Chapter 2 is posted.

Hope you like the first chapter!

**THANKS**:

Jenn6891: I thought it was a nice difference and it works for her character now. At least the way I've made her out to be. Karma will be her friend, but I don't know how much of her will be seen at the moment. I think I might have her help Jude out a little cause she's Karma and you know…LOL. But yes, I won't make her a b, but_ other_ people might make her one. ;)

leytonfan30: Thank you! Yes, Jude and Tommy will finally meet. I will update soon as long as I have the time to write.

aztckarla: Aww…thank you! I hope I am able to make it awesome. Chapter 1 is here!

anothercasualty: Yes, I am. You're welcome. You were the first person to show interest in this so…you would be right about Tommy. Tommy is the playboy. I think that partially represents Jude, but you get the idea. She's not going to be swayed by Tommy very easily. Patsy will have her own storyline. I'm kind of excited about it. And Karma will be similar to the way her character was portrayed on IS, but she'll be able to control her Karma-ness easier. LOL.

**Disclaimer**: Oh, another character - I have a personal "connection" - if you will - with Allan. It's a long story - but this is my way of venting with the situation that he created. Anyway, Allan is mine (heh, just like he wanted in RL, but sadly - this is fiction). I don't own iPhone, Jack Daniels, Coca Cola, Armani Code, The Running Man.

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter 1

"Loosen Up"

She leisurely twirled her straw in her glass, the ice clinking against the clear material.

To put it accurately, she was bored.

And the whole hitting the club thing had been her idea, so she should have been having the time of her life, right?

Well, she wasn't.

She was leaning up against the metal bar, drink in hand as horny couples and practically nude singles grazed against her because the place was so packed.

_Great idea, Jude. I hope you're having fun. _She rolled her eyes and sighed as she started a war inside her head.

This is what her night had come to: talking to herself.

Something was wrong.

Lifting her out of her funk for a split second as her elbow was hit by something hard, Jude turned to her left.

The edges of her lips turned up slightly as her eyes took in the sight in front of her.

She would have been in denial if she said the man wasn't hot. He was.

Beautiful maybe. His dark hair complemented his olive skin tone. His broad shoulders fit perfectly in his jacket and the blue button down he was wearing brightened his eyes which sparkled in the dim light.

Jude's slight smirk turned into a full-on smile as the man edged closer to her, his cologne wafting in the air. Perfect. _Armani Code. Yum_. He bent down, putting himself at almost the same height as Jude.

Then he opened his mouth.

"Hi," he said, his voice husky, his breath dancing against Jude's face. "I'm Allan."

Jude's eyes widened and she sucked in a short breath. Oh. My. God.

"Hi,nicetomeetyou,butI'vegotaboyfriend.Sorry," Jude replied in one breath. Then she turned around and faced the bartenders who were working quickly to disperse the drinks they were creating.

His face scrunched in confusion. "Well, I'm sorry about that," he said.

Jude let out a light sigh. Thank God.

A few seconds passed and she felt the same presence inch closer to her.

"I could have shown you a good time," he whispered next to her ear.

Jude froze, her breath shortening on its own accord.

Out of her corner of her eye, she finally saw him walk away.

Slowly, she backed away from the bar, her drink still in her hand. She shook her head rapidly and her body followed. She shuddered in disgust.

If anyone had looked at her, they might have been worried. She looked like she was either going through a seizure or someone had put itching powder on her clothes.

"Ahhh!" she screamed in the music-filled room, no one paying any attention to her.

That was wrong. And so gross.

Allan: good-looking on the outside, but his breath needed a major makeover. It was rancid to no extent.

"Doing the pee pee dance again, Harrison?"

Jude abruptly stopped and glanced to her right. She rolled her eyes and then took a long sip of her drink. "I'm not even going to deem that question with an answer, Vincent."

Spiederman scowled as he walked towards her, Miller Lite in hand. "Hated first name usage, Harrison. Low blow."

"And to think, that's the lowest anyone's going to blow you tonight," she retorted, leaning against the bar again.

Spied smirked widely. "Cute, but I think I'm going to prove you wrong, Dude."

One of Jude's eyebrows rose instantly. "And how do you bet that? Getting Wally's sloppy seconds?"

Spied rolled his eyes. So Wally had a way with women. Whatever. Spied pointed behind Jude as he shook his head. "No. Karma's looking a little tipsy tonight," he said with a smile.

Jude turned her head and dramatically rolled her eyes. Karma was perched on her chair, talking to Mason. She tossed her head back, laughing loudly, her legs flying in the air.

Jude could almost make out her underwear from where she was standing.

Gross.

But at least she was _wearing_ underwear.

"I don't understand you guys," she said, grimacing as she turned her focus back on Spied.

Spiederman's eyebrows rose.

"You guys hook up and date for like two days, then break up because she can't deal with your childish antics and you can't hang with her bitchy attitude," she explained.

"And your point would be?"

Jude sighed. "Why make the initial commitment if you aren't going to follow through?"

She didn't understand how they could be so casual with each other. Did they have a fear of commitment or did they just like to be used for their bodies?

Spied gave her a pointed look. Of course Jude didn't understand. She brought emotion into the equation and that just made things messy. Something Spied wasn't too fond of. "It's all about the fun. Something you are seriously lacking."

Jude rolled her eyes. "I don't need sex."

Spied sighed heavily, deciding now was a good time to take a swig of his beer. "It doesn't have to be sex. It could be anything – like dancing," he offered.

Jude scoffed. "Yeahhhhhh."

Spied shook his head. That was the exact response he thought she'd give him. He threw his head back, drinking the rest of his beer and slammed the empty auburn bottle on the bar. "Dance with me," he said, extending his hand for Jude to take.

Immediately Jude shook her head. "No," she said, clutching her drink closer to her body.

Dance? Yeah, no.

Spied rolled his eyes and extended his hand again. "Come on, loosen up."

Jude stared at him closely, his gaze never wavering from her. He was being sincere. As if he really wanted to help.

For a split second Jude thought about his offer. Then she realized she had nothing else to do. Cause before he walked up to her, she had been bored. And dancing would make her un-bored.

Maybe.

Then Allan floated into her head and she realized that the chance of her meeting other gross men like him were high since that is what constituted many of the patrons at the club.

She glanced at her drink and downed it in one sip.

Spied's eyes widened and when she slammed her empty glass down like he had moments before, he smiled widely.

She was giving in. At least a little.

She grabbed his hand and he walked out to the dance floor in front of them before she stopped him suddenly. He looked back over his shoulder and waited. "Isn't this going to kind of ruin your chances of hooking up with Karma?" she asked.

Spied scoffed. "Please, she's practically falling off her chair. Easy hookage."

Jude looked back at the table her friends had inhabited and indeed it was true.

Karma was half on her chair and half on the floor.

She faced Spied and hit his shoulder. He was practically salivating at the mouth. "You are so gross."

He shook his head. "I'm not gross, I'm a guy."

She raised one eyebrow as he began to pull her farther onto the packed floor. "Aren't they synonymous though?"

"Heh," he scoffed. "And it's with your _winning_ personality that you are gonna hook up with a guy."

"How about no?"

Spied raised his eyebrows and he grabbed her other hand, pulling her against his body. She stumbled slightly before righting herself, a curious look in her eye. What was he doing? "How about you just dance and let the men come to you?" he whispered.

Jude leaned against Spied, contemplating his question as she stared at his smiling face.

Maybe, just maybe, she'd give in. Just this once.

- - - - - -

He watched as she rubbed up against a guy a few inches taller than her, his hands on her hips. His hand clenched around his high ball glass, the ice clinking together.

His eyesight became hazy as he watched the pair dance even closer, if that was at all possible. They were practically on top of each as it was.

A hand shot out into his view and his sight became clear again. He looked off to his left at a VIP empty table as she leaned in close to him.

"Tommy baby, how about we go somewhere a little more…" she whispered seductively as her hand traveled the length of his thigh. "_Private_," she finished, her hand stopping between his legs.

He coughed loudly, his glass almost falling out of his hand. She had gotten his attention, just not in the place he would have preferred at the moment.

As he pondered the request of – well, he couldn't remember her name exactly, he gazed out in front of him, thinking he'd settle for watching the aforementioned couple dance again.

But when he looked back to the dance floor, they were gone.

Not patient enough to wait for his question, Marie said, "I'm going to the little girl's room. I'll be right back."

He nodded wordlessly as she let go of his package and walked away from their table. His eyes searched the floor plan for any sign of the couple he had watched moments earlier, never understanding why he cared.

He didn't know them nor did he care to, but there was something about them that kept his eyes glued.

His eyes hit the far left corner of the dance floor, a small square unaffected by the ravenous crowd surrounding it. There stood his best friend and a nameless blonde.

His best friend always had a thing for blondes.

He, on the other hand, had a special place for redheads. And brunettes. And raven haired women, along with the occasional blonde thrown in. So he loved women? Who could blame him?

Not the women, he was sure.

He watched as Kwest handed the blonde his cell phone, asking her for her number. It was a game they used to play when they wanted to one up each other. Trying to see who could get the most numbers.

They no longer played that game. They were mature men. With values. And morals. And that _other_ stuff.

He chuckled lightly as the blonde shook her head and handed the phone back to Kwest. She reached around to her back pocket and pulled out a shiny black iPhone. She handed it to Kwest with smile.

He watched his best friend throw a smile on his face and laugh. He had to admit the girl had guts.

He needed to find one of those.

He looked away from his best friend and placed his attention on the bar. He gazed over the c-shaped object, taking in the nameless, faceless people as they laughed and seemed to be having fun.

A lot more fun than he was having at the moment.

He glanced down at his drink for a split second and noticed it was empty.

Where the fuck was Nick? Seriously. He was taking his damn sweet time. So much for paying to have the best VIP host in the club.

The age old adage ran through his head: "_If you want something done right, do it yourself_."

So he got off of his chair and walked away from the table he was sitting at, never bothering to pick up Marie's purse or jacket.

He walked down the few steps in front of him, not wanting to make an ass out of himself if he ran down them and fell, and leisurely made his way towards the bar.

He passed Kwest and his blonde and found an empty space near a couple. The woman, when he looked close enough, apparently had her nose in her drink.

He smirked at the intricacy and wedged himself next to the man she was talking to.

"Jack and coke, please."

The bartender nodded at him and walked away.

He gazed up and down the bar, waiting for his drink to come. A few seconds later, the bartender dropped off his drink and he nodded a "thanks."

He picked up the highball and turned around, watching in amusement as people tried to dance.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a man scaring off a young woman with The Running Man. He shook his head as he laughed and then turned his head. _Amateurs_.

The woman who had her nose in her drink moments before was now pinching her nose shut and apparently breathing through her mouth in small gulps.

He smirked widely, finding the entire spectacle hilarious.

"It's what we in the bizz call _high tide_."

Jude faked a laugh, taking in gulps of air. Allan was back. And she couldn't breathe.

_Where is Spied?_

She frantically gazed around her, hoping to find him. When she glanced over her shoulder, a tattoo caught her eye and she saw Spied and an intoxicated Karma walking towards the exit. Spied had a tight grip on Karma's waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. He glanced at Jude and then gave her a thumbs up paired with a large smile.

Jude grimaced.

Gross.

She waved nonchalantly in their direction, trying to find something to use as a way to escape.

Nothing.

She gazed back at Allan, who smiled widely and then took a sip off his beer.

She smiled back, realizing nothing was going to save her unless she became a complete bitch and told him off.

The idea had started to sink into her head, when she saw something move. Or rather someone.

And then she knew.

It was perfect.

"Oh my god, you're finally here!" she yelled, pulling herself off the bar. Allan scrunched his face in confusion.

Deciding his night was going to end sooner than normal as there were hardly any prospects that seemed satisfying, Tommy downed his drink and placed it at the edge of the bar. He pulled a twenty out of his pocket and threw it in the tip jar near him. He turned around; ready to walk away when he heard a woman yell. He slightly jumped, glancing to his right thinking that was the direction the yell had come from.

He had been right.

Instantly, a woman ran up to him, throwing her arms around him in a hug. He was caught off guard and stood there frozen for a second, trying to process what had happened.

"Just follow my lead," the woman whispered into his ear.

Her words didn't help the situation any so he stayed silent, playing the last few seconds in his head. He had been ready to go home when a woman yelled and there had been a good chance that same woman now had her arms around him.

Yeah, that about covered it. What the fu –

He gazed out and over her shoulder, noticing a man he hadn't been paying attention to. He stood there, eyebrows furrowed and a frown fixed on his face.

Her words played in his head and he started to understand.

She slightly loosened her hold on him, gazing up at his face. He silently glanced at her, taking in the sight in front of him. She was the same girl who had her nose in her drink. Bright red hair, sparkling blue eyes, tight black halter that accentuated her shoulders, full pink lips –

Yeah, that was the same girl. Not that he had been playing close attention or anything.

Neither one of them spoke. It was as if time had slowed down and no one else was in the room but the two of them. They stood there, gazing at each other as the club continued to party on when she heard someone clearing their throat.

She grimaced and a smile immediately hit Tommy's face. He now understood completely.

He bent down and placed a light kiss on her cheek. Before standing up again, he whispered, "I love a woman in charge."

A rose blush started to emerge on the woman's face and he took that as his cue to stand up. She lightly cleared her throat and let go of him.

Placing her hands in front of her, she turned around slowly, feeling a little hot around the collar. Taking his rightful place beside her, Tommy placed his arm around her waist and squeezed it softly.

She gazed at the man in front of her who looked confused as all hell, while trying not to look at the man behind her. The one she had drug into her mess.

Jude smiled at Allan and then said, "I told you I had a boyfriend."

Allan nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I just thought you were trying to get out of talking to me."

Jude slightly smirked when the man beside her decided to speak. "She was. But she really does have a boyfriend."

Jude gazed down at the floor, silently berating herself for bringing someone else into her ordeal. Someone so pompous that he had to make comments when she hadn't asked him to. But she had asked him to "follow her lead."

So really…what was the big deal?

Jude bit her bottom lip and gazed back up at Allan. "Excuse him. He just got back from work and he's a little cranky. Sorry."

Allan shook his head. "It's not a problem. It's just a shame that _he's_ your boyfriend."

Jude smirked. "Tell me about it."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I'm right here. I can hear you," he said.

Jude turned her head. "I know. That's why I said it."

Tommy lightly clenched his jaw as he gazed at her. She shook her head and grabbed his hand from her waist, intertwining their fingers. "I think I better get Mr. Cranky home. He's getting fussy," she said, looking back at Allan.

Allan smiled, nodding his head. "It was nice to meet you, Jude."

"You too, Allan. Have fun."

His eyes lit up wickedly. "Oh, I plan on it."

- - - - - -

Jude dragged Tommy through the vast crowd and emerged seconds later in the outside courtyard. She needed to get away from Allan as fast as possible in case he realized that he had been right all along, that she _had_ been lying to him.

As the cold air hit her skin, she instantly let go of his hand. Turning around to face him, she was able to look at him for the first time, _really_ look at him. His hair stood up in all directions, but from the look of his clothes, she would have bet money that it took time to make his hair look that disheveled. Lots of time. His eyes gazed at her and as he tilted his head slightly, she could see the perfect shade of blue in them. For some odd reason, she thought she recognized him. Or at least his face. While she stood there, trying to remember a name, he parted his plump lips and his tongue darted out slightly, licking his bottom lip. Her heart did a flip, knocking her out of her reverie, and her mouth went dry while other parts of her became wet. She said, "Um, thanks."

She twisted her hands nervously. His eyebrows rose, a curious smirk forming on his face, his chiseled features deepening even more. "Um, thanks?"

Her brow furrowed. "Yeah, that's what you usually say when someone helps you out."

He bit his bottom lip and nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I just thought my thanks was gonna come in a different fashion."

Her eyes widened tremendously as her eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"I thought my thanks was – " he started to repeat.

"I heard you the first time," she hissed.

Not willing to back down, Tommy said, "Well, when someone says ex – "

"I know!" she spat.

Tommy's eyes danced and a smirk grew on his face. "Who's cranky now?"

Jutting out her jaw in annoyance, Jude replied, "Look, I appreciate you helping me out and everything, but – "

"But, you need to loosen up," he said honestly.

Her eyes narrowed. Who this guy thought he was, she had no idea. But he was starting to piss her off. "I don't need to do anything, but go home," she said harshly.

"And what?" he scoffed. "Snuggle up to your 15 cats?"

The blow hit Jude suddenly, wondering why the man in front of her instantly assumed she had an ice queen complex. She didn't. At least not usually. But the night had pushed her so close to the edge that her walls were up higher than they normally were and a pair of gorgeous blue eyes were not going to make them come down.

Not that she thought his eyes were gorgeous or anything. It was just an observation.

"No, my 15 dogs. I'm allergic to cats," she replied dryly.

He didn't know why the look on Jude's face made him feel remorse or anything of the sort for his comment, but it did. And it slightly scared him. Not that he was going to say it out loud or anything…it was just that he hardly ever got emotionally involved with any woman he met on his nights out. And remorse was an emotion.

Or so he had been told.

"Look, I – " he started, instantly backtracking.

"Spare me," Jude said, rolling her eyes. She should have known. He had shame written all over his face. He didn't need it. It didn't suit him. And she was a big girl…she would be fine. "You meant what you said, but its fine. I'm over it."

He nodded once.

"Now, if you'll excuse me…I've got to get home and feed my 15 dogs," she said with a slight smile.

Tommy smirked and raised both of his hands in surrender. "Fair enough," he said.

Jude nodded once and then turned to walk back into the club, in hopes of feigning a headache or something so that her friends would pity her and leave.

Just as Jude got to the entrance, the man with the gorgeous blue eyes called out to her. "Have a great night, Jude," he shouted over the loud chatter, nodding his head once.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled; a genuine smile, for the first time that night. "You too."

- - - - - -

Fervently glancing around the table her friends had once inhabited, she found it completely empty. _Maybe Sadie went to the bathroom_, she thought.

Jude checked the women's bathroom. And the men's bathroom. And the VIP lounge. And the DJ's booth.

Hey, her sister got around, okay?

But Sadie was nowhere to be found. And neither was Mason, Patsy, or Kat.

That meant only one thing.

And that one thing hit Jude as she stood near the coat room, fumbling through her purse.

"Shit," she muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes over her cell phone screen. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Sadie had left her a text: _They went home. Get urself a ride! :)_

"I don't kid like that," came a response.

Jude picked up her head and glanced to her right. The guy with the gorgeous blue eyes was staring at her.

"What do you want now?" she asked, irritated that her friends had left her and that the man she thought she didn't have a chance of seeing again was right in front of her.

Tommy smirked widely. He was enjoying her banter, which is all that he figured he'd be getting that night, so he went with it. He had Jude pegged as woman who used her middle finger rather than her breasts. "I'm sorry for wanting to help out a damsel in distress," he replied, shrugging as he walked up next to her.

She gazed at him, a pointed look written on her face. He leaned down, pointing in front of them. "I actually meant her; she broke her heel on the door when she got it caught."

Jude gazed out in her front of her, seeing a blonde in a too short dress, jumping up and down on one stiletto, her large breasts bouncing with her every movement.

"Cute," she replied dryly, trying desperately not to toss her dinner across the tile floor.

"I think so," he replied, nodding. Jude rolled her eyes and realized just how close he was to becoming his supposed "best friend" – a dog – and drooling. It was disgusting.

While the man stood and gazed at the blonde bimbo, Jude felt a vibration in her hand. Just as she picked it up to see why it had vibrated…the goodbye screen popped up and Jude could see the battery life on her phone hit zero.

Instantly the screen went blank. Her phone had died.

Her night was getting better and better by the second.

Glancing around her, Jude tried to find a payphone, but there was nothing. And no one she knew was left at the club, unless you counted…

"Um, I hate to be a bother, but – " Jude started, plastering the fakest smile she could muster on her face as she glanced at the man next to her.

Sighing irritably as he tore his eyes away from the blonde in front of them, he gazed at her. "What?"

"Do you have a phone I could borrow?" she asked. She knew it never hurt to ask, but as a smirk formed on Tommy's face, she had second thoughts.

He was enjoying her pain, the obvious pain that she knew was written all over her face.

"Now you want my help?" he said.

"Oh my God," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "A simple yes or no would do the trick. I need to find some way to call a cab."

"Why do you need a cab?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. Why was he asking so many questions? Couldn't he just give her his phone? "Are you always this nosey?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded without a thought. "Why do you need a cab?"

Jude sighed heavily. To tell or not to tell…that was the question. "Because my friends left and I need to get home," she explained.

"I'll take you home," Tommy offered, turning his head to see if the jumping blonde was still around. But as his eyes glanced around, he noticed she was gone. All thanks to the woman standing next to him.

"Riiiight," she said in disbelief.

Did he think she had a death wish? She was not getting in the car with a stranger – well, not a total stranger, but she didn't even know his name! How smart would that be?

"It's just a car ride, Jude," he said.

She opened her mouth to tell him what an idiot he was for even proposing the idea, but when she looked at him, her mouth closed instantly.

There was a look she couldn't describe, but one she was sure that many women had fallen victim to and she, obviously, hadn't been immune.

It all started with his eyes.

Damn his blue eyes! Damn them.

"Fine," she murmured, seconds later.

Feeling as if he was finally making some headway with Jude, he smiled. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist his eyes, not even with her snarky remarks. He noticed her ready to walk towards the door, but with her sudden need for his help and the fact that she wasn't going to get anywhere without him…he felt as if he might as well enjoy the rest of his night out – it was if the night had just started.

Suddenly, he threw an arm around Jude's shoulders and pulled her close to him. She gazed up at him, caught off guard like he had been when she hugged him, some hours ago. The exposed skin on her shoulders flared. She was not supposed to react like that – especially not to some playboy's touch.

"But I'm not leaving yet. So you're gonna have to wait," he said proudly, waiting for her to growl or snarl at him.

Instead of speaking, Jude glared. Intensely.

If Tommy hadn't had to deal with his artists for the past month, he would have been afraid, but he had taken more heat that morning than what was in Jude's eyes.

"Come on, have a couple drinks with me, then I'll take you home," he offered.

Jude laughed sardonically, throwing Tommy for a loop. "Oh yeah," she replied. "Cause that's exactly what I should be doing…getting in the car with someone who has been drinking. _Smart idea_."

Tommy rolled his eyes. Obviously she had no idea who he was because if she had…she would know he was notorious for drinking and driving, but intoxicated or not, he treated his Viper as if it was his baby. And he wasn't going to let anything to happen to it. He just had to get her to see that. "Because getting in the car with someone who has been up for 24 hours and is bound to fall asleep at the wheel is so much safer," he retorted, scoffing slightly.

It wasn't the best argument given the fact that he didn't really know how long cab drivers were up for, but anything to get her to stay was going to be used, so he didn't really care.

She gazed at him intensely. "You're not going to fall asleep on me?"

"I wouldn't dare," he responded in mock seriousness.

She noticed his tone and narrowed her eyes. He was _not_ being funny.

"Come on, Jude. Live on the edge," he said, stopping their progress back into the bar. He stepped in front of her and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"The edge is where you fall off," she said, dryly.

He leaned in close, closing in the distance between their faces. Jude instinctively moved her head back, but Tommy never relented. "Not if you have perfect balance. And I have walked tightropes you wouldn't imagine," he said lowly, his voice almost a whisper. It was a wonder that she even heard him. It seemed as if they were the only two people in the world.

"Complete with spandex?" she asked, a smirk on the edge of her lips.

His eyes sparkled in the dark. "And a unicycle and a flaming baton."

Her lips formed a smirk. "Impressive."

Suddenly, a man passed by Jude roughly, pushing her body directly into Tommy's. Her hands flew to his chest, trying to keep herself distanced from him. His hands dropped from her shoulders and rested on her waist. Jude's body tensed at the instant connection.

"I knew you would see things my way," he whispered.

Jude's head leaned farther back as she gazed up at him. The same look she had endured several moments before was back. A shiver ran up her spine.

"Okay, one drink," she murmured.

A wide smile formed on his face and he tightened his grip on her waist with one arm, pushing her back into the club.

"Two and a shot and then I'll take you home," he said, pulling her close.

She stopped suddenly. Tommy gazed down at her, noticing her lips in a straight line as she looked away from him. She wasn't taking his offer so easily this time. He leaned down next to her ear.

"It's calling you Jude," he said, his breath floating over her skin. "Jude. Jude. Jude. Ju – " he began to chant.

Jude looked up at him, slightly annoyed and slightly amused at his determination. He was not getting to her. No. She wasn't going to let that happen.

"Okay. Let's go," she said, pulling on his arm as she led them back into the sea of people.

- - - - - -

The music pulsed through her, her gaze foggy. She was feeling entirely too good. And it didn't hurt that the man standing next to her was beyond gorgeous.

"What number are we on again?" she slurred, holding herself up against the metal bar.

Tommy smiled; at least that's what she thought he had done. "I lost count at 7," he murmured, shaking his head.

He normally didn't drink this much, but once Jude had dragged him toward the bar and the bartender placed a shot in front of him…he had been a goner.

He didn't even notice Marie sway up next to him, trying to get his attention. Nor did he see her stalk off moments later when she realized she had been replaced by Jude.

Not that he would have admitted the replacement, but it was evident to Marie.

"Me too," Jude said. Another shot glass slid in front of her and she leisurely picked it up. Tommy picked his up and clanked it against Jude's. The pair brought their glasses up to their lips, downing the liquid in one sip.

Jude slammed her shot glass down on the bar. It had gotten easier with each shot; her throat didn't burn as much. She turned around as the DJ changed the song and leaned her back against the bar. She swayed slightly, whether to the music or because of the enormous amount of alcohol in her system, she didn't know.

The corners of Tommy's lips turned up into a smile as he watched Jude. The alcohol had a calming effect on her, if that was at all possible. She was less sarcastic which was a godsend.

She turned her head towards him as she sensed someone looking at her. "What?" she asked.

He shook his head and said nothing, his smile still plastered on his face. He brushed a part of his hair from his face and Jude took notice. She reached up and grabbed his wrist.

"What time is it?" she asked, leaning into him, her chest against the outside of his arm as she tried to focus on his watch. Tommy gazed down at the face and read the time.

"It's gonna be three," he said.

Instantly everything became clear for Jude. She was drunk with some unknown man at three in the morning when she had very important things to do later. She was officially fucked – and not in a good way either.

"Shut up!" she shouted, her eyes widening.

Tommy's hands instantly clamped over his ears. "Stop yelling!" he said.

"I have to get home," Jude said. She turned around and picked up her purse from the bar before walking away from Tommy.

Instinctively, he followed her. "What's the rush?" he asked her backside as she pushed herself through the throngs of people.

"I have really important stuff to do tomorrow. I mean – today," she shouted over her shoulder.

Tommy grabbed his jacket from the coat room attendant's hand and placed a twenty dollar bill in the other before rushing after Jude who had made it to the door. "Calm down, you'll be fine."

Jude stopped suddenly, shaking her head. Her world started to spin. "No, I'm gonna be sick."

"Not on my shoes!" Tommy shouted.

If she hadn't felt as if she was going to fall over and die, she would have made a comment about his shoe confession. But she wasn't in the right mindset to say anything. Jude shuddered slightly and Tommy realized it wasn't from the alcohol. She was cold. He threw his jacket over Jude's shoulders and began to walk her outside.

"I need to get out," Jude said as Tommy pushed open the exit door.

"Calm down. Breathe Jude," he said, rubbing her back. He didn't know why he felt the need to be caring, but Jude's helpless state brought something out in him.

Not that he would have admitted it.

"Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh

My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! – " Jude started as the valet pulled Tommy's Viper up to the curb. She was bent over at the waist, gazing at the gray concrete, which at any moment could have been her new best friend.

"I don't think he's gonna be able to help you right now," Tommy said as he opened the passenger door. "He's got things like world hunger to deal with."

Jude glared at him as she got in and as Tommy was about to shut the door, she said "Shut up and just get me home."

A smirk formed on Tommy's face as he placed another twenty in the valet's hand. "Are you always this perky?" he asked as he got into the driver's seat. He put the Viper into drive and pulled away from the curb. He knew being an ass to her when she was able to do serious damage in his precious Viper wasn't the smartest idea…but at that moment – he didn't care.

"If you'd like to go home with all of your manly parts, you'll shut up and just take me home," she replied, still glaring at him. She rolled the window down, letting the cool air keep her stomach contents down and placed her head against the door.

"Enough said," Tommy responded. He was not one to joke with his manly parts. That was serious business.

* * *

Preview:

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Two

"Late Nights In Strange Places"

_It was an old beat up guitar case._

_The inner producer in him came out immediately. _She plays? _He thought. _I wonder if she's any good.

- - - - - -

_Sadie scoffed. Talk about being a hypocrite. "Wait," Sadie started. "_I_ go home with someone and you call_ me _a whore?"_

- - - - - -

_He let out the breath he had been holding and looked at the caller id. His chest clenched as he debated whether or not to answer the call._

_- - - - - -_

_Jude gave her a pointed look. "A girl can't sleep in the nude just because?"_

_A smirk formed on Sadie's face. "Not a girl like you," she responded before she took a sip of her coffee._


	4. Chapter 2: Late Nights In Strange Places

**A/N:** Sorry this has take awhile – it's not because I just finished this chapter – it's been sitting on my computer for about a month – it's just all the other stuff (my laptop crashing again, my desktop not liking , uh, moving…all that crap, so sorry!). I wasn't going to post this until after my finals were done, but I need a break from my lit studying so I figured now would be a good time to post. I'm gonna start finishing up the next chapter at the end of the week, so I hope it'll be up soon.

This chapter sets things up. Next chapter everything really starts.

Like I said previously, I didn't know if all my chapters were going to be as long as the first one. This one isn't. After the first scene – the POVs goes back and forth. It was just easier that way for me – the next chapter will probably be similar to that method, however, those sections will most likely be longer because more has to happen.

Anyway, I hope you like this!

(Oh and I know the title of this chapter is somewhat deceiving cause we don't stay in that time of the day for very long – but it works! You should see why…)

**THANKS**:

larydreamer: Thank you for liking this! It is and it will only get more interesting once certain things are in place. Here is the beginning of the rest!

saderia: Thank you for finding this and thinking this is really good. I hope you like this chapter!

mysweettime19: I'm glad you think so! I'm updating now!

anothercasualty: LOL. YAY! I'm glad you think so – I was a little worried she'd be too much, but there is always a reason so… I can honestly say that I don't think about continuity – which often hurts my stories – if it happens, it's done unintentionally, but I'm glad it worked out. LOL. Allan – hah. He's back in my life, but I'm trying very hard to just ignore him so he can find his own way out. Which is kind of ironic since you haven't seen the last of him either. Funny. LOL. I liked that line too. AHAHA. Yes, I did. I've never been to a club, but I guessed that there are some people that just don't belong there – like the Running Man. :D The 15 cats? I've been told that before – by Allan. Needless to say – I've got enough ammo from Allan to last the entire fic. LOL. Thank you! Um, yeah. Nudity – at its finest. I guess. :D You're so welcome. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

lalalalacey: LOL. I'm updating! I'm sorry it took forever. Thank you for loving this!

**Disclaimer**: If you didn't see it coming – I'll warn you now – **there is some adult content in this chapter**. ;) Song used for a second: Secret by Maroon 5. Oh, you will be briefly introduced to a new character.

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter 2

"Late Nights In Strange Places"

She didn't know if he had been lying when he said he needed to use the restroom. She knew she hadn't been when she told him to pee in the bushes. And she was pretty sure he wasn't when he said that he wasn't "a dog."

But that didn't stop her from saying "You could have fooled me" or from him poking her side. Hard.

It also didn't stop her lips from crashing down on his the moment he entered her house. She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the puppy dog look he gave her when she had been ready to slam the door in his face. Maybe it was the _other_ look he gave her when she finally let him inside.

She didn't know and she didn't care. Because once again, she was feeling entirely too good and she was pretty sure the alcohol in her system wasn't the central reason this time.

It might have been the soft pair of lips on her left breast, the rough fingers making their way down her thigh, or the way their skin rubbed flush against each other.

A slight moan echoed in the room and Tommy brought his face up and gazed at Jude whose back was arched. The instant sight of her made him harder than he had been in a long time.

"God, you are so hot," he whispered. Her eyes locked with his and a smile grew on her face.

"It's the alcohol," she reminded him, placing a kiss on his shoulder.

"It's _not_ the alcohol," he said, shaking his head.

The heat in Jude's body rose ten-fold and it was in that moment that she decided to take charge. After all, it was something she knew he would like. He had said it himself.

"There is –" she started, her legs wound around his torso as she tried to push him on his back. But Tommy was stronger.

"Not so fast," he whispered, gazing down at her. "I'm not done."

Jude closed her eyes, a small whimper escaping from her lips as his head travelled back to her breast.

She could feel his laughter vibrate across her skin and it was maddening. "Stop it. You're driving me crazy," she managed to whine.

His eyes locked with hers again and his lips slowly turned in a smirk. "Good crazy or bad crazy?" he whispered huskily.

Even in her frenzied state, Jude was able to ask "Is there even a difference between the two?"

"Just checking." He smiled widely.

She rolled her eyes as he moved from one breast to the other. Her back arched again and she rubbed against his erection. He growled, accidently nipping at her skin.

That was all it took to send her over the edge.

Her fingers clawed at his arms, catching his attention. He gazed up at her and this time it was _her_ look that made him give in.

- - - - - -

He groaned heavily, having been awake for a few minutes. The glare from the sun had woke him up and he would have gladly gone back to sleep if he had been able to move into a different position, but he couldn't.

He was pretty sure the dead weight that was splayed across his chest wasn't helping his predicament.

He had been able to move her body a few inches – not that it was much, but it allowed him to sit up and take in the room around him.

_Her_ room.

Overall, it was pretty minimal – a few posters on the walls, an oversized chair in one corner. He was about to check the clock on Jude's bedside table, when something caught his eye.

A leather jacket.

Well, not the jacket, but what was underneath the jacket.

He didn't have to concentrate on the object at all; the odd shape gave away its contents instantly.

It was an old beat up guitar case.

The inner producer in him came out immediately. _She plays?_ He thought. _I wonder if she's any good._

Subconsciously knowing she was being talked about, the body next to him moved slightly. And not in the direction he would have preferred. She moved _toward_ him – grasping at his abdomen, resting her head on his arm.

Moving his attention back to one of the more important things in the room, he sighed heavily, pulling his arm out from under her and crossed it over his chest.

Everything was starting to set in for him and to put it precisely: he felt like shit.

That's usually what happened when he drank too much. But last night – he hadn't cared. He hadn't cared about anything.

Long before their drinking binge, he had given up trying to get into Jude's pants. But seeing her completely peaceful as he took her home, probably exhausted from trying to throw verbal fire at him every time he spoke up, he thought differently.

Yes, he used her weakness to his advantage, but after the night he had had – he was sure she didn't mind. Not when she did that thing –

Her breath caught his attention, tickling his skin. He looked down and instinctively smiled, reaching out to pull her bright red hair out of her face.

His hand stopped suddenly. What the fuck was he doing?

He never grew attached to his conquests and as simple as his gesture had almost been – he didn't need that kind of a mess.

It was in that moment that he realized he needed to get up and get the fuck out of there as fast as his hung-over ass would move him.

But just as he was about to push her body off of him, she moved her hand closer to her body and in the process ran her fingers right over his dick.

His entire body perked up – Little Tommy included – and he sighed. Fuck. It was going to take a miracle to get him out of bed and out the door before she woke up.

- - - - - -

The Harrison household came into view and the cab stopped at the curb, pulling in front of another car that sat in front of the large house. Curious, she turned her head and gazed at the bright blue color. In some deep crevice of Sadie Harrison's mind, the color seemed familiar, but where she had first found out about the hue was a totally different story.

Shrugging it off as a trick of the mind, Sadie placed a twenty dollar bill in the cabbie's hand and opened the door. She exited the cab, shutting its door behind her as she balanced two paper cups in one hand. Gazing around for something more important, she sighed in relief as she noticed her sister's car sitting in the driveway. One of the cups in her hand was for Jude – a peace offering for kind of ditching her the night before. She would have explained or apologized over the phone, but her lips were busy – attached to someone else and there really hadn't been time.

Taking in the fresh Toronto air, she closed her eyes.

She felt good. Really good.

It might have had to with the amazing night she had. There was no doubt in her mind why she loved sex, among the many reasons – she was a much happier person when she had it on a regular basis.

It was kind of the equivalent to her sister Jude's stimulant: coffee.

But she'd take sex over a grande vanilla latte with two shots of espresso any day of the week. Any day.

Making her way up the steps to her house, she pulled out her keys. Pushing with her shoulder, she managed to open the door with one hand. Glancing over her shoulder for a split second, she saw the bright blue sports car sitting in front of her house again.

Her brow furrowed as she racked her brain for some connection. The car was too familiar for her not to remember, but nothing was registering.

Shutting the door with her boot, she placed her purse on the wood floor of the foyer and made her way upstairs with both cups of coffee in her hands.

She reached the landing when a loud boom sounded from her sister's room. Instantly, she ran toward Jude's room, tightening her grasp on the two cups still in her hands. Shifting both coffee cups to one hand, Sadie struggled to open the bedroom door. She twisted the knob a few times, but it was still stuck.

With her free hand, she banged on the door. "Jude? Are you okay?" she asked through the door.

There wasn't a response.

Sadie turned the knob again and after pushing the door with her shoulder, it flew open. Another boom sounded and the door banged against the bookcase behind it causing Sadie to almost lose her footing.

A startled Jude gazed up from the floor of her room, tangled in cream sheets, completely naked.

"Hi."

- - - - - -

He sat there for a few seconds, contemplating his next move, when Jude made it very easy – too easy – for him. _She_ moved.

She turned over on her back; one arm splayed across her pillow much like her fiery, red hair, the other curled up next to her face. Her chest rose softly; one breast completely shielded by a sheet, the other slightly exposed. He didn't want to admit it, but the sight had turned him on slightly and without a second guess, he would have fucked her again – right then and there. If only he wasn't afraid that they'd have to have the always awkward 'next morning' conversation that usually came when his sex partner woke up.

It hadn't happened that often, but when it did…it was torture. At least for him.

He didn't like to be an ass, but the words "this was a one-time thing" usually surfaced from his lips at some point. And that was usually preceded with a shoe or vase being thrown at his head. Some of them made it quite easy for him to never want more than a "one-time thing" with them. One would have thought that the tabloids would have put a damper on his sex sprees, but obviously the women he fucked didn't read or didn't care. Either way he was a happy camper.

But she didn't stir. He took that as a sign to get out as fast as humanly possible.

He threw his legs off of to the side of the bed and looked around for his clothes.

Then he heard the front door slam shut followed by gasp from his right side.

- - - - - -

"Wow."

"Shut up," Jude replied, slightly glaring. Her body ached in odd places and she was sure she was going to get a bruise from her tumble off the bed. Fixing her sheet so that it covered every part of her body from the neck down, Jude pushed herself off of the floor and sat on the edge of her bed.

A full smile broke out on Sadie's face and Jude rolled her eyes.

"Don't say – "

"You had sex," Sadie taunted in a sing-song voice.

Dramatically Jude threw herself back on her bed and cringed. The abrupt movement caused a headache to begin to pound and her insides clenched. Slowly simmering somewhere in her head, fragments of the night before stirred. But nothing came into focus. The only thing that was clear was how her morning had started.

She had woken up to a naked man in her bed – a stranger – who without looking at her had run straight into her restroom and most likely had fallen. She had gotten up to check on him when she heard Sadie's voice. She panicked, knowing that Sadie piece together everything and tease her, much like she was doing now. So she had rushed to get the door and in the process had fallen off her own bed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she muttered unconvincingly, gazing at the ceiling.

And she didn't. At least not in a direct sense. She was pretty sure she knew how her clothes came off and that the man who had decided to hide in her restroom was the person who had made it happen – but how many times, in what positions, and the degree of satisfaction were foggy at the moment.

"Bullshit," Sadie retorted. Jude was not getting off the hook that easily. Jude hadn't hooked up with anyone for a while and Sadie had been concerned, but with the new turn of events and with her sister finally settling down with her music, she thought things would be okay for her sister.

Leisurely, she perched on the edge of Jude's bed, knowing in a generalized terms what had gone on underneath Jude's covers and though she could gab about sex until her face turned blue, Sadie wasn't the kind of person who was eager to touch anything that came out from someone else's love-making session – even if it was only her sister.

A cup floated in Jude's vision. Instinctively, her hand shot up, but as she reached out to grab it, Sadie pulled it away. "Tell me."

Jude brought her hand back down and frowned. That was a cheap shot. Sadie knew how much she loved her coffee. "I don't – " Jude started. She sighed, trying to rack her brain of the night before, but nothing came to mind. "I don't remember."

Sadie scoffed. "Well, either you're a horrible liar or it wasn't very good," she offered, finally handing Jude her coffee.

Jude sat up and took the cup from her sister, taking a long sip of her latte. "I guess, but – "

"But what?" Sadie said excitedly.

Jude's eyebrows furrowed. Sadie was being way too perky already. "Geez, crackwhore much?" Jude remarked.

"I just – " Sadie started. "I had a good night sleep is all." Sadie's right eye started to twitch.

Jude's eyes narrowed. Something was fishy. "Liar."

Slowly Sadie began to smile widely and Jude's eyes got bigger.

"Oh my god!" Jude shouted.

- - - - - -

His face was mere centimeters from the plush rug on the bathroom floor, his naked body splayed out in a position reminiscent of a baseball player sliding into first. He had fallen after hurriedly closing the bathroom door.

He slowly pushed himself off of the floor and sat up straight. His breathing became almost inaudible as he tried to hide his presence. He couldn't hear much of anything from his position on the floor, so he moved a bit closer. He leaned his head against the door and listened carefully, feeling his body loosen up slowly as he heard minimal chatter through the door.

That had been close. Too close.

The second he heard the front door shut and Jude gasp, he had grabbed whatever was in front of him and ran through the nearest door. And the second he turned around from closing the door, he lost his footing on the rug and fell face forward. Seconds later, he heard a loud noise, similar to his, and then a door opening and slamming against something hard.

The bathroom had been his only choice to get away seeing as Jude would have found some way to make him talk to her or the person who had come home would have found him in Jude's room – both scenarios not on his to-do list – _ever_.

If he hadn't been about to shit his pants, he would have found the entire thing hilarious. But it wasn't. Not even remotely. Because he was stuck in some chick's bathroom with only one exit: the same door he came through and two loud women on the other side.

He reluctantly pulled himself up and reached out to lock the door, just in case. Then he stood up and sat on the edge of the spa bathtub, debating his next move. Running his hand through his hair, he closed his eyes tightly.

What the hell was he going to do? Walk out into the lion's den and say "Surprise"? Yeah, very unlikely.

He sighed heavily; opening his eyes again, and began to rifle through his clothes, hoping that somehow, dressing himself would spark some Mission: Impossible exit.

He threw on his oxford shirt and buttoned it up before looking through the pile to find his boxers. But after a few seconds of picking each item up and shaking it out…he found nothing.

Well, nothing that constituted boxers. There was one thing, however. But that one thing gave him the hebejebes just looking at them.

It was a pair of women's underwear. No, not like the banana hammock he had worn on the front page of Talk National months earlier – these were slightly better. Maybe because they didn't cause his dick to cling to his body.

These were black and lacy and…roomy?

He groaned heavily, the sound muffled by his hand as he kicked the underwear off of his jeans with his big toe.

No, there had to be a better choice, right?

- - - - - -

"What?" Sadie said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"_They went home. Get yourself a ride_?" Jude recited. Sadie's eyes lit up, recognizing her own words. "You dirty whore!" Jude said.

Sadie scoffed. Talk about being a hypocrite. "Wait," Sadie started. "_I_ go home with someone and you call _me_ a whore?"

Jude nodded.

"At least I didn't bring him to our house!" Sadie retorted.

"Who said I did?"

Sadie rolled her eyes. Jude wouldn't be able to lie her way out of this one. "Well, your lack of clothing says something for one."

Jude gave her a pointed look. "A girl can't sleep in the nude just because?"

A smirk formed on Sadie's face. "Not a girl like you," she responded before she took a sip of her coffee.

- - - - - -

No, there wasn't a better choice. Either he let his boys chafe or provide some support for a however long it would be before he found some boxers.

Reluctantly, Tommy stepped into the pair of women's underwear, one leg at a time. Every few seconds he froze, holding his breath as if someone was about to barge in – even though he had already locked the door. After a minute of painful dressing, he stood in the middle of the bathroom in an oxford shirt and lacy boy shorts, feeling like a complete jackass.

Silently, he made a vow to stay away from redheads at all cost. They were apparently too much trouble – even if they were the best in the sack. And this girl – Jude – hadn't disappointed either.

- - - - - -

Jude's eyebrows narrowed. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Sadie sighed. "Nothing Jude."

"No," Jude started, jutting out her jaw. "Please let me know why I'd have to sleep with someone to be in my current state. I don't think that's true."

"I'm not – " Sadie said.

"Sadie," Jude pressed, slightly glaring at her sister. Despite her aching body and newfound need for sleep, Jude wanted to hear her sister's explanation.

Sadie took a long sip before responding. This was going to be interesting. "Your entire bed has been slept in."

Jude looked around her. Her bed was a complete mess – two pillows were on the floor, a blanket hanging over the end of the bed, and she was wrapped in the sheets. Jude shrugged, gazing back at Sadie. "I move around a lot."

One of Sadie's eyebrows rose. "You have really amazing sex hair."

Jude patted her hair subconsciously. "My pillowcases mess my hair up all the time."

"Your lips are swollen." Sadie took a long sip of her coffee.

"I bite them," Jude said, biting her bottom lip for proof.

"Your face is flushed – which makes you look gorgeous by the way." Sadie smiled widely.

Jude rolled her eyes. That wasn't really proof that she had had sex. "I left my make up on – and I was wearing a lot of blush last night."

Sadie sighed heavily, a smirk starting to form. "You have a hickey on your neck."

- - - - - -

Tommy jumped up in surprise – his pants were ringing. Hurriedly, he reached around and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. He pressed the silence button instantly, holding his breath as he waited for his world to cave in.

A few seconds passed – ones that felt like hours – and then he heard a loud, girlish shriek. Maybe they hadn't heard his phone?

Maybe.

He let out the breath he had been holding and looked at the caller id. His chest clenched as he debated whether or not to answer the call.

The semblance of guilt that had settled in his stomach won out.

He opened the phone and placed it next to his ear in trepidation.

"QUINCY? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

- - - - - -

It was in that moment with Sadie standing next to her as she stared into her bedroom mirror that Jude remembered. Everything.

From the way his hands feathered ran across her skin to the way the heat in her body spiked with each kiss.

It had been fuckin' fabulous.

She even remembered that she might have said "_I know I don't know you, but I want you so bad_" somewhere along the line.

Music came to her at the oddest time, she knew – but during sex was a new one for her. At least it was a decent song. Maroon 5 would be proud.

But then, why couldn't she remember who the person was? Yes, he was in her bathroom, but other than that – she had nothing. No name. No face. No voice. Not a damn thing.

"It's a cliché move, but it feels really good," Sadie offered, leaning against Jude's bookcase. She took a sip of her coffee and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess," Jude muttered reluctantly.

Sadie's face grew confused. "Why do you sound as if God is going to strike you down for admitting that the sex was good – _great_ even?! She knows we have our needs."

"I – " Jude started, staring at Sadie through her mirror.

"And I for one am very happy that you finally went out and fucked a guy," Sadie replied. "You needed it."

Jude turned around suddenly, throwing her hands in the air. "How can you be so casual about this?"

"Cause its sex, Jude," Sadie said, shrugging. "Everybody has it. And it's not a big deal until you make it one."

"Well, I'm not everybody." Jude crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Yes, I know. You make a big deal out of everything," Sadie stated, shaking her head.

"No, I don't," Jude defended.

Sadie cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. "Who took four hours getting ready yesterday?"

"I – "

"And you came down in jeans," Sadie said.

Jude rolled her eyes and muttered "Whatever."

"It's why music works for you – you can pour all of your dramatics into a song. It's a good way to get it all out." Sadie leaned back against the bookcase behind her.

"Yeah," Jude breathed.

"But sometimes and I know this is blasphemous to you musicians, but sometimes – music doesn't cut it."

Jude rolled her eyes. Of course Sadie would say something like that. She just didn't get music that way.

"Sometimes you need something else," Sadie started. "Sometimes…you just need sex."

- - - - - -

"Jack, will you calm down?" he angrily whispered. He knew Jack – or any of his artists – wouldn't be happy with him, seeing as he was probably late for a meeting with them – but that didn't mean there had to be yelling of any sort.

"No! I – Why are you whispering?"

"It's a little complicated," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't about to tell Jack about his night. He knew where that conversation would go.

"Well, _un_-complicate it!"

Tommy grimaced, taking in the stern voice of his artist. Jack was starting to sound a lot like his boss, Darius – Tommy didn't like it one bit.

Maybe they were –

"Tommy!"

"I – I –" Tommy sputtered. His eyes rose to the ceiling, searching for an excuse and stopped at the wide window above the spa tub.

It was if a light bulb had gone of it his head.

He now had _two_ exits. And he was man enough to take the high road. The one placed high above the tub.

He was going out through the bathroom window.

"I'll be there in 15."

* * *

Preview:

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Three

"Next Morning Inspiration"

"_Look, I get that this might freak you out since – " Sadie started._

_Jude sobered instantly and her eyes slightly narrowed._

"_Well, you know," Sadie finished, seeing Jude's face. "But you can't let him get to you. This is under your control."_

- - - - - -

_The sound of the door knob had scared him, so much so that he basically jumped onto the trellis without a second thought. And now, he was freaking out._

_If someone saw him, he'd look like a large bug stuck to a wall. He was practically on all fours, hanging on the trellis, praying that he'd make it down okay._


	5. Chapter 3: Next Morning Inspiration

**A/N: **Everything has catapulted up to the stuff that happens in this chapter. All the lovin' and such. :D

Hope you like it!

**THANKS**:

saderia: Yes, he did. Um, maybe. LOL.

thinkpink14148: I'm glad you liked it. I'm sorry it takes me so long, I'm trying.

FlamingCammi: I'm glad you think so! Thank you, Cammi. I'll try.

lljazzyjazzll: Oh, I know. LOL. Oh, I'm glad. Yes, I do. I hope you like this one.

**Disclaimer**: Song used: "High Hope In Velvet Ropes" By The Cab. Listen to it. It will rock your world. :D You will meet a few new characters – one who has a history that will create its own storyline. Oh, I also own 'Automatic Stereo' – I googled it, but didn't really pay attention so if there is an actual band by that name…oops?!

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Three

"Next Morning Inspiration"

Jude stood sulking, her fingers tracing over the bruised skin on her neck. She grimaced. "I'm a slut."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "Stop, please. Your melodramatic ass is bringing my post-sex high down and I won't stand for it."

Jude stared at her through her mirror. "But – "

"No buts. You're not a slut," Sadie started. Noticing Jude was about to protest, she continued. "If you're a slut, I'm like the Queen Slut then."

Jude looked away and Sadie's eyes widened. What the f – "Hey!" Sadie said, pushing Jude's arm.

Jude started to laugh and Sadie smiled. Even if it was at her expense, Sadie was glad that her sister was laughing. She couldn't handle when she was down on herself about things like this. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Jude just needed to realize that it wouldn't be the last, at least not until she decided to settle down and Sadie knew that was a long shot seeing as she was a Harrison woman.

"Look, I get that this might freak you out since – " Sadie started.

Jude sobered instantly and her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Well, you know," Sadie finished, seeing Jude's face. "But you can't let him get to you. This is under your control."

"I know." Jude nodded.

Sadie eyed Jude for a few seconds and a barely passable smile grew on her face. Sadie wrapped her arms around Jude's shoulders. "Good. So what do you want to do today?"

Jude gazed at Sadie through her mirror, a smirk playing on her face. "I kind of have to go to the studio."

Sadie grimaced and Jude's smirk turned into a full smile. "Damn you musicians."

- - - - - -

The wind blew across his face and he had to squint in order to see straight. The sun beat down on him and beads of perspiration started to form on his brow.

_Just do it. Just do it. Just do it_. "Just do it," he said out loud.

He was crouched on the window sill, deciding whether or not to move. He had to get out of there – and fast.

Now that Jack was on his case, he figured Jude would be fast to follow.

His legs began to cramp and he extended one leg and then the other. The overgrown trellis secured to the house siding was within his reach, but his eyes continually darted down. He hated them.

Heights.

They scared the shit out of him, but this was a life or death situation so he had to get over it. Granted, he was blowing this a little out of proportion, but seeing as he really didn't want this to be another "Banana Hammock" situation, he needed to get out.

He slid closer to the side of the window sill and stuck his foot out. It hit the trellis and he pressed down on it. The trellis shook and Tommy could feel his insides doing the same thing. He closed his eyes tightly and began to take long breaths.

Then he heard the door knob behind him jiggle.

- - - - - -

"Sadie, it won't open."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "You need to oil your doors; your bedroom door was getting stuck too."

A deep blush poured over Jude's face. She didn't want to think about what Sadie might have walked in on if the mystery man hadn't hightailed it out of her room in time. Jude gasped slightly.

He was still in her restroom. Shit.

"Um, Sadie?"

"Yeah?" Sadie's shoulder hit the door again as she played with the knob.

"Nevermind, I'm gonna use the other shower, my shampoo is still in there," Jude said lamely. She watched Sadie's expression turn confused.

"Okay," she drawled, still looking confused. "Just remember the – "

"Oil, got it," Jude replied. Jude fought the urge to roll her eyes and began to push her out of her bedroom. "I'll take you to lunch when I'm done recording."

Sadie smiled over her shoulder. "I love having a rockstar for a sister."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Right."

- - - - - -

The sound of the door knob had scared him, so much so that he basically jumped onto the trellis without a second thought. And now, he was freaking out.

If someone saw him, he'd look like a large bug stuck to a wall. He was practically on all fours, hanging on the trellis, praying that he'd make it down okay.

He bit his bottom lip and moved one of his feet down.

Shit.

Apparently, the underwear he thought were going to be comfortable weren't going their job – maybe because they weren't designed to be scaling the sides of houses like Spiderman. He had a fucking wedgie now.

His day was getting better and better by the second.

Her knuckle hit the wood a few times and she waited for a response, but nothing came. A few more knocks – this time more forcefully – and still no response. Jude reached above the door frame and pulled a small piece of metal off of it. The key-like scrap fit into a hole just between the knob and the door as it was designed to keep anyone from getting locked out.

Jude held her breath for a second and slowly pushed open the door, her eyes tightly forming slits just in case Mr. Mysterious was still scantily clad. A gush of wind swept by her and the knob knocked out her hand.

The room was empty.

But the window above her tub was wide open, letting all the wind in the world in.

What the f –

- - - - - -

The heat from the leather transferred to his skin and he yelped. Fuck that was hot. He jammed the key into the ignition and started the Viper as quickly as he possibly could.

He threw his head back and slouched in his seat, letting the air conditioning cool his body. His heart rate had dropped thankfully, but the pain in his back wasn't letting up anytime soon. He had managed to get down the trellis about halfway when he lost his footing and ending up being sent sprawling to ground.

He could have sworn that his life had flashed before his eyes.

And he would have been fine if he had just landed and everything had ended, but instead something cushioned his landing – if you wanted to call it a cushion. Directly underneath the trellis had been some left over kid's toys – one of them being a Fisher Price plastic table. The table had hardened and discolored from the sun and was pretty sturdy given however long it had spent next to the house, but the moment he tried to get up, the table split in two and he fell on a bicycle wheel.

That was most definitely going to leave a bruise.

- - - - - -

That was a money shot – he was sure.

Nick scanned through the numerous pictures he had shot and smiled. There were few photographers that had ridden Tommy Quincy's coattails in the past few months – knowing that he was hiding from the scene.

However, Nick Richardson was not afraid of taking a few risks. After following him, Nick had spent much of his morning sitting next to a dented, overflowing trashcan across the street from Quincy's blue Viper.

Nick placed his key in the ignition and started the engine – he had seen everything. The images played before his eyes as he pulled away from the curb, driving towards Downtown Toronto.

A redhead and Tommy. The redhead almost slamming the door in Tommy's face. Tommy entering the house. Hours later, a blonde joining them. Then suddenly out of nowhere – Tommy riding the side of the house from an upstairs window. Tommy falling. Tommy running. Tommy jumping in his car. Tommy speeding away.

_Tommy, Tommy, Tommy,_ Nick thought, shaking his head. _You should have stayed away._

- - - - - -

She sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair as she waited downstairs for Sadie. She wasn't mad, but there was something she was feeling. Maybe it was disappointment. Maybe it was frustration.

No.

Those things meant that she cared or that she had hoped for something. And she didn't.

Really.

So then why was she so bothered that when she finally managed to unlock the bathroom door, he was nowhere to be found?

That had to mean something, right?

Maybe.

Or maybe he was just a fucker that escaped from girl's bathroom windows because he was too afraid to admit to what he had done.

Jude was going with the latter.

- - - - - -

Downbeat was crowded, clamoring with moving men and industry insiders trying to find a place for themselves and the newly-purchased furniture. Jack stood off to the side, impatiently waiting with Tommy's other artists, sipping on a cup of coffee from hospitality. They were all restless, waiting for this very important meeting they were supposed to be having, but Tommy was late. He had said 15 minutes – they were going on almost an hour.

From the corner of Jack's eye, a Tommy Quincy appeared. His eyes darted around the room and Jack knew what he was trying to do – sneak in without getting yelled at.

Jack pushed away from the counter and rushed towards him, smacking his shoulder as he placed his key in the doorknob.

"Where the fuck have you been?!"

"Jack, not now," Tommy said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Coming to Downbeat was twofold for him – he needed to talk to his soon-to-be ex artists and he also needed something to get Jude off his mind. The fact that she was infiltrating his thoughts still, as he had now entered his professional turf was beginning to scare the shit out of him. This didn't happen – ever. Tommy headed straight for his desk; anything he could do to use up his time. He rifled through a drawer, looking for a few files that he would eventually be handing over to the new producer.

Jack followed him in and suddenly stopped. Jack's mouth dropped. Tommy's office was practically cleaned out. There were no platinum albums on the walls, no picture frames in his bookcase. There wasn't even the usual Tommy licorice stash he kept inside a faux bookend – the bookend was gone. The desk had three different stacks of papers on it, each with a colored file on top. Jack knew exactly what those files contained.

Tommy rummaged through another drawer, throwing some of its contents into the box sitting on his desk chair. A smile formed on his face as he finally found the file he had been looking for.

"Tommy, what the fuck is going on? Why have you cleaned out your office? Are you leaving? How come you didn't say – " Jack started.

Tommy looked up and stared at Jack. He had forgotten all about his office – now Jack really knew something was up. Shit. This was going to be harder than he thought. "I'll tell you guys in a second. Just wait."

Jack nodded.

Tommy turned around, and bent down – he could already feel the enormous headache that was creeping to his temple. From the nice fall he had taken or from the shocked look on Jack's face, he was unsure. His fingers ran over a bottle and grasped it. If only he still had that bottle of JD. This is not how he wanted things to go.

"T, what are you wearing?"

- - - - - -

Tommy rolled his eyes, his jaw clenched tightly. Jack would not stop laughing. He needed the Jack Daniels more than ever.

Four pairs of eyes stared back at him expectantly from across the long black table.

"Ignore Jack," Tommy said, as if the words were enough to explain the hysterics coming from one of their peers. He tightened his grip on the water bottle in his hand and four heads nodded reluctantly. Tommy closed his eyes as Jack's laughing began to get louder. The pounding in his head didn't look like it was going to subside any time soon. Damn aspirin wasn't doing its job.

"The reason I called you guys in here was because I need to tell you I'm leaving."

Four mouths gaped open, eyes widened. Jack instantly sobered, finally hearing the words that confirmed the bare appearance of Tommy's office.

Tommy opened his eyes and his words penetrated his skull. Had he really just blurted that out? Fuck. He was gonna chewed out.

1. 2. 3 –

The blonde sitting on Jack's right side spoke first. "What?!" Eden Taylor yelled. Eden was Tommy's first artist and the most difficult. She had Diva written all over her, but most of the time Tommy couldn't complain – she was a Pop Princess and that meant radio play no matter how shitty the song was. Not that any of her songs were shitty. He made sure of it.

"Dude, you can't leave. We _need_ you," one of the guys sitting to Jack's left said. It was Michael Monroe, the guitarist for Tommy's only band, Automatic Stereo. The band was Tommy's last addition to his artist roster and Michael and his band mates, James and C.J., were the most easy-going of them all. He was definitely going to miss the frat boy antics in the studio, but he knew they would be able to work with anyone he put in front of them – they were _that_ easy-going.

Tommy swallowed hard. He hadn't meant to just spew the news out like that – he usually planned his words. However, nothing was going like he had planned. His meeting. His day. God, Jude! He was losing his cool over a fucking girl. What was wrong with him? He had gotten so flustered over everything that he said anything to make his world stand still for one second. And now it was all going to come crashing down.

God, if he knew that this was the outcome of going home with Jude, he would have seriously rethought the idea all together.

Well, maybe not all together, but the thought had sounded good in his head.

He just needed to get her out of his head so that he could focus. This was important. More important than a great night turned shitty. He was handing his life over to some dude he had never met, in hopes that he'd be able to finish the job. He had to believe that or he couldn't take the record deal. Well, he had already taken it, but he'd do serious damage if someone messed up all the work he had put forth this past year.

Tommy bit his bottom lip. He had to do this. "Look, I know this is hard to grasp at the moment, but it has to happen."

The five artists in front of him stayed surprisingly silent, glancing at the walls of the board room. He knew it wasn't because they didn't have anything to say. It was more of finding the _right_ words to say. Tommy sighed, knowing that his moment of weakness had created a meteor-size hole he'd have to talk his way out of. He counted in his head, waiting for the exact moment when he would have to start explaining.

The moment came sooner than he had planned – he was only on 20.

"Why do you have to leave?" Jack asked.

Tommy jutted his jaw out. Focus. Keep your cool. "I've been assigned another project."

Eden exploded, throwing her hands up, almost knocking Jack's coffee to the floor. "I knew it! This whole merge is destroying everything. I cannot wait to get my hands on the little shi – "

Jack's head shook. Something was up. There was more to whatever shit Quincy was throwing around. It was in his eyes. "This isn't about the merge, guys."

"Jack – " Michael started.

"Cut the bullshit, Tommy," Jack said.

Tommy traced the top of one of the files sitting in from of him, clenching his jaw. His eyes stared at the laminate table. "I have been given the chance to do my own stuff."

The silence in the room grew into some tangible force that about knocked everyone on their ass. Tommy couldn't help, but cringe.

"You're the new artist," Eden said in disbelief. A rush of relief surged through her body. Everything was going to be okay. For a while there, she thought the new artist was gonna be some pretty chick with a guitar and some chops. Thank god, it was just Tommy. She could handle that – even if his hair looked better than hers some days.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "That's it? Why didn't you just say that?"

Tommy's eyes darted up. "Because it's personal – "

"It's not personal, Tommy. It's music," Jack said. "We've had our opportunity and you've been a part of it. Why didn't you think we'd give you the same chance?"

Tommy shrugged. He hadn't thought of it that way, but he could feel his defense building up already. "I don't know, I just – "

"You didn't trust us." Jack stared back at Tommy, an expressionless face looking him straight in the eyes.

"Guys – " Tommy started.

"That's not cool, dude," James, Automatic Stereo's lead singer said, shaking his head.

Tommy clenched his jaw. "Okay, I messed up. I've just – You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this chance again. And I didn't want to mess it up. I just didn't want it to be a mess," he said, honestly.

A short laugh escaped from Automatic Stereo's drummer, C.J. "Cause we're a mess."

Tommy shook his head. "I never said that."

"You didn't have to. We've been pretty selfish lately. And we wouldn't have had the opportunity to be selfish at all, if it weren't for you."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" James asked.

C.J. rolled his eyes. "What I meant was that you are the reason for our success and I think we all forget that sometimes. You deserve this, so thank you."

"Yeah, thank you," James said, nodding.

"And good luck," Michael added.

"Congrats, T," Eden finished.

Tommy's eyes locked with Jack's, a smile painted on his face. Jack stayed silent. "Thanks guys."

"So, who's douche bag that we're stuck with now?" James asked.

"Sanchez!" C.J. reprimanded.

"What?! I just want to be prepared," James replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Tommy shook his head, a light chuckle escaping from his lips. He opened a file from one of the piles and glanced at the report. "His name is Alex Myers. And I think you'll all be very happy with him. He comes with a lot of experience and – "

"Yadda yadda yadda. Is he hot?"

Tommy shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. Leave it Eden to lighten the mood.

- - - - - -

The door to Studio A opened, revealing an almost relaxed Tommy Quincy. Kwest glanced to his left before taking off his headphones and leaning back in his chair. "Did they skin you alive?"

Tommy slumped into a swivel chair, trying very hard not to irate his muscles before a hoarse chuckle escaped his lips. "I wish. They were actually pretty cool about it, once I fessed up."

Kwest nodded. "Jack would have killed you if you lied to them."

"Which is the exact reason why I didn't lie," Tommy said, spinning in the chair.

"Good, cause picking your sorry ass off the floor would not be a highli – "

"Aren't you supposed to be my friend?" Tommy asked as he slowed his spinning.

"Yeah, it's why I'm being honest with you about the whole Jack thing." A large smile appeared on Kwest's face.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll deal with Jack later. Speaking of being honest, where did you go last night?"

"Back to my place," Kwest offered.

"With that blonde?"

"Who are you – my mother?"

This time Tommy smiled. "No, I just wanted to know who I'd have to thank if I had to pick _your_ sorry ass off the floor – "

"Moving on," Kwest said. "Did you go home with that brunette?"

Tommy cleared his throat. If he could stay away from all things that led back to Jude, he would. But knowing Kwest, he wouldn't let up easily. So he'd have to fib a little. A little white lie never hurt anyone did it? "No – "

"You got assed out?" Kwest asked incredulously.

So much for little white lies. Tommy Quincy was not a man who got assed out – ever. "Can we not talk about it, please?"

"Your ass. Was it that bad?"

"It was – " Tommy started, his eyes darting towards the board.

Kwest cocked his head to the side. Something was up. He knew Tommy way too well to know that he couldn't stay quiet about his rendezvous for very long. "Or _that_ good?"

Tommy's eyes darted even farther away.

"Oh God, it was," Kwest said, laughing. He slid farther down in his chair, his eyes staring at the ceiling, a wide smile on his face. "Today is getting better and better."

Tommy glared. His best friend was enjoying his pain too much. "That's not what I said."

"You didn't have to," Kwest said, a shade of a smirk still on his face. "I just know you, T." Tommy rolled his eyes. "Just tell me this, was it a redhead?"

Tommy audibly groaned.

A loud laugh reverberated into the studio. "You're insane, you know that?"

Tommy glanced at Kwest. "Why?"

Kwest gave Tommy a pointed look, shaking his head. "You screw a redhead the night before your big meeting? How smart was that?"

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"I'm just surprised you didn't walk in with a pair of women's – "

"We are never talking about the banana hammock _ever_ again, got it?" Tommy said, glaring. Like he needed Kwest knowing he was going to get a rash from the lace he _was_ wearing.

Kwest raised his hands in surrender. "Got it," he said before biting his bottom lip. "Just one more question…"

"Fine – "

"Will I see this one on the cover of Talk?"

Tommy clenched his jaw. "Do I look that stupid?" he asked. Before Kwest could open his mouth with a response, Tommy added, "That was a rhetorical question!"

A laugh exited Kwest's lips and Tommy shook his head. "Forget it. I have some paperwork to fill out at G-Major," he said, getting out of his chair.

Kwest sobered up – the mention of a new studio always made him happy. "Wait – I wanna check out the boards over there."

"Fine – " Tommy started, rolling his eyes.

"Let's go."

- - - - - -

He was silent, still pondering the question Kwest had asked him when the car behind them honked loudly. The light was green. Tommy floored the Viper and from the corner of his eye, he could see Kwest flinch.

"I didn't ask for her number, I just asked – " he started.

Tommy nodded silently. How did he answer the question? Did he lie or did he say that she was not only the best fuck he'd had in a while but she also had a wicked tongue on her – and not just in a sexual way either? "She was…probably…one of the best."

Kwest's eyes widened, but he stayed silent. He hadn't heard that from Tommy in a very long time. At least not since –

"We're here."

"Okay," Kwest muttered.

Tommy pulled into an empty parking spot and put the car in park before shutting the engine off. "Kwest…"

"Oh god," Kwest drawled. "You did that thing with your voice."

Tommy glared. "What thing?"

"That thing where you like moan when you speak. That shit's only hot when a girl does it."

Tommy's eyes widened. "What?! No. I didn't."

Kwest rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. But that means that something is up. You're gonna go all soft on me."

"Fuck you! Forget it," Tommy said, opening the driver door hastily.

"T – " Kwest started. Tommy slammed his door shut as Kwest got out of the car.

Tommy glanced at Kwest from over the roof of the Viper. Shit. He _was_ going soft. "Look, I – fuck!"

"T, calm down." Kwest rolled his eyes as he shut his door.

"Man, you don't get it," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I. Can't. Stop. Thinking. About. Her."

Kwest didn't have to look at Tommy's face for very long to know he wasn't lying. "Oh shit, you like her?"

"No, but there something that I can't get out of my head and I don't know why."

Kwest bit his bottom lip. He had to purge her. That was the only way. "There is only one thing left to do, T."

Quincy's brow furrowed for a second and then he recognized the look in Kwest's eyes. "This bitch is gonna be a hit."

- - - - - -

Jude made her way through G-Major while Sadie used the restroom. The transformation of G-Major had obviously been overnight. The trace of paint fumes was nauseating and when she passed Hospitality, she noticed her favorite bar stool had been replaced.

She took a seat on a new leather stool and spun around for the full effect. They no longer squeaked. Jude's eyes narrowed. They took all the fun out of her breaks – she could no longer be Grandmaster Harrison with her funky chair beats.

Sighing, she got off of the stool and made her way past the studios until she got to her favorite one – studio B. She stopped, glancing in through the small space in the glass.

Jude knew the merge had meant more talent, but she didn't realize they were already using her studio. Jude frowned, taking in the sight. A pair of guys were working – one singing, the other producing. She watched as the producer spoke to the singer, while the singer's response was a laugh.

The singer started again and even from her position behind the door, she could tell his was born to do this. She had to hear what he was working on.

Jude opened the door slowly and slid into the shadows of the studio before the producer or the artist could see her. Not that either would have really noticed – they were both in their own worlds.

In the middle of the take, the artist stopped and took off his headphones. He said a few words, shaking his head. The producer changed a couple levels and the artist started again. The producer took off his headphones and the song poured out into the studio from the speakers in the ceiling.

Jude closed her eyes. She banged her head to the beat, her foot tapping along with it.

"_Tell me what can I say to make your body come this way_

_We're only two in a crowded room where others fade away_

_It's only a crime if I get caught_

_It's only a line if it get's bought /  
_

_I woke up 12:05, I left that room with no goodbye_

_And now I'm on my way back home (that's why I'm telling you)_

_It's not that your lipstick failed_

_But girl, I was just born to bail_

_I do it better on my own – "_

Jude opened her eyes and stopped suddenly, feeling all the air in her body escape. That song. What the f –

The artist had stopped singing and was making his way into the live room, the producer waiting for him. Jude stayed in the shadows, still thinking about the lyrics.

"Kwest, I don't know. I need – " the artist started, sitting in a swivel chair.

"I got it, T," the producer, Kwest, said. "Maybe we'll get the boys to work on the track?"

"That sounds – "

"I can't believe you," Jude whispered.

Kwest and Tommy jumped, hearing the voice. Tommy turned around suddenly, feeling the muscles in his back spasm. Jude moved out of the shadows with her hands formed into fists.

Reluctantly, Tommy got out of his chair and walked up the girl who had eavesdropped on his session. Didn't G-Major being in closed recording session? The closer he got, however, the more his eyes grew. What the f – "Jude?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. How – why – what?!

Jude's eyes narrowed. "That song? That song is about last night, isn't it?" she asked, not really caring that Kwest was listening in on their conversation.

Tommy's breath caught in his throat, having been caught off guard. How did she know? Was it that obvious? "It was just a –"

"Fuck you," she spat. The heat continued to rise in Jude's body the longer she stood near him. From being upset at him or from actually being able to see him again, she didn't know.

"Jude, I – " Tommy said as he reached out and placed his hands on her forearms. He didn't know why he had done it, but he had. And now he couldn't take it back, no matter how much shit it was going to cause him.

Jude sucked in a breath and in that moment everything came back. Everything. His voice. His face. His hands. The way he kissed. The way he made her – Jude tore her arms from his grasp and in one split second, her right hand connected with his face.

Kwest's eyes widened. He bit back a laugh and turned around in his chair. He didn't need to witness anymore to know that something had gone on between them and that it had just gotten worse.

"You're a fucking bastard."

Before Tommy could stop her from leaving, the door slammed shut and Kwest jumped. Quincy stood in the middle of the room, biting hard on his bottom lip to keep from yelling. Kwest cleared his throat.

Tommy turned and glared angrily at him. "Don't – " he started, holding up one finger. He didn't need anything else at the moment but music. "We're finishing the fucking song."

* * *

Preview:

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Four

"A Line In The Sand"

"_Hi, my name is Jude Harrison," she said, a smile on her face. "I'm supposed to meet – "_

_The man sitting at the soundboard turned around with a large smile on his face._

_Her smile was instantly exchanged with a frown as Jude tried everything not to groan or clench her teeth. "Oh fuck me now," Jude muttered with a sigh._

_A laugh escaped from the man's lips before he got out of his chair and walked towards Jude. "The name is Kwest. And didn't Tommy already do that?"_

That's all you're getting because I haven't done much with the next chapter, sorry.


	6. Chapter 4: A Line In The Sand

**A/N: **Holy crap, I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted last. I'm super duper sorry! If it's any consolation...I'm on a writing streak right now...so I'm going to ride it until it fades. ;)

Anyway, now that we've gotten the song out of the way…let's hit the aftermath – the next day. Everyone gets to meet each other – happy happy joy joy!

Hope you like it!

**THANKS**:

JENJEN87: Thank you! I don't think this is what you had in mind about 'soon,' but I'm trying. I'm glad. I like this chapter. I won't, I promise.

francesca49: Thank you so much! LOL. That's one of my favorite parts. Thanks. I am! :)

katielynn101: Thank you! Yay! I'm glad.

ali: I'm posting more now!

dafuturesingingsensation: I'm so glad! LOL. I'm really liking Kwest this time around. Me too! I am…right now.

Kathy101: Thank you! Just because he's not her producer doesn't mean that he won't be around during her studio sessions. ;)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night," The Cab's "High Hopes In Velvet Ropes," Pink's "U + Ur Hand," or Tryst.

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Four

"A Line In The Sand"

Sadie Harrison couldn't stand it anymore. Jude was the worst lunch date in the history of the world. All her musician moodiness was dragging her down and she wasn't going to stand for it anymore.

"I can't take this anymore. You're fucking insane. What is wrong?"

Jude tossed the French fry she had been drowning in ketchup to the side of her barely touched cheeseburger and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "You know when I'm in a pissy mood, I like to shop, so – "

"No," Jude spat. "No amount of retail therapy will help me out of this funk."

"Ha!" Sadie shouted. Jude jumped in her chair and stared at Sadie as if she was mentally insane. "There _is_ something wrong."

Jude sighed. "So what?"

"Is being pissed off helping you at all?" Sadie asked.

Jude bit her bottom lip as she actually contemplated Sadie's question. The answer was an honest no. It wasn't helping. It was making her unable to eat, thereby making her afternoon out with her sister pretty damn miserable, and also making her nauseous even though she knew the only thing in her stomach was coffee and more coffee.

So the question was – what would make her feel better?

The answer came in the form of a dark red convertible that was blaring the KISS song "Rock And Roll All Night."

A slow smile formed on Jude's face and Sadie cringed.

"Jude, not again," she whined.

"How about this, Sadie. You let me get this song out and…I'll let you take me shopping."

Sadie glanced at Jude, her brow furrowed. "How does that benefit me?"

Jude rolled her eyes. "You can shop too."

"Well, okay then," Sadie said, smiling widely. Jude sighed.

Sadie was so damn easy sometimes.

* * *

The finished product sat on her desk, shining up at her amongst the remnants of its fallen comrades who hadn't made the cut. Jude had spent the last 12 hours working on something – anything to wane the memories of the mystery man from her system. Now, it only needed a name.

A satisfied smile lit up her face as she scratched the title on the page with her pen. It was blatant, but she didn't care – he deserved it.

Folding the sheet of paper, she hastily shoved it in her journal between a few other songs she had been working on and placed the journal in her bag. She sighed heavily and felt all the anger she had mustered leave her body. Well, almost all of the anger – she'd need some of it to channel the song when she recorded it later. Placing the bag at the foot of her bed, Jude glanced at the time from the clock on her wall.

4 a.m.

Though she knew she would barely get a few hours of sleep before she had to be back at the studio, Jude didn't care. She knew all the time she had spent had gone towards something that would prove fruitful in the end. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

Jude walked towards her door and flicked the light switch off before collapsing on her bed. Her bag fell to the ground with a thump and Jude smiled. Maybe Sadie had been right to call her out on her bad mood. She would have to remember buy her some really awesome stuff when they went shopping later.

- - - - - -

Almost every inch of G-Major had been taken up by both G-Major and Downbeat employees as everyone settled in for the meeting that had been announced a few days prior. Now that the dust had finally settled, Darius Mills thought the next step would be to discuss the merger in an open forum. If the words _open forum_ meant the same thing to Darius Mills as they did to the rest of society.

Jude doubted it.

From the few minutes she had actually spent talking to him or rather listening to _him_ talk, she had gathered that he didn't really care about anyone else's opinion but his own. For that reason alone, she was thankful that Georgia was still sticking around. Up until two months ago, Georgia Bevans had had full ownership and control of G-Major. Now that task was being shared with Darius in what Jude could only assume was a very desperate business venture.

Jude smiled a little, thinking of all the drama that would probably ensue from having Darius and Georgia butt heads when decisions had to be made.

"Dude, you listening?"

"Nope," Jude said honestly as she turned her attention to the three young men sitting to her right. Her friend Mason was working with his stylist still and though men might have been pushing it some days, it seemed to work for the most part when it came to her back up band, Spiederman Mind Explosion.

Spied rolled his eyes. "Pay attention."

"To what?" Nothing was more important to her at the moment than getting into the studio and recording. She needed to get the song out and be done with the whole mystery man thing for good. Or as much as possible considering she had to work with him now.

Gotta love those drunken one night stands, right?

"We're trying to figure out which one of us the blonde secretary will go for. You know, we are pretty much famous already and girls love guys in a band and – "

Jude rolled her eyes. Wasn't it obvious? She worked at a record label for God's sakes. "You kicked Karma to the curb already?"

"They're taking a break," Wally said. Spied glared at him and Wally shrugged innocently.

"Right."

"Look, I don't wanna hear any shit from you on my relationship or lack thereof. I just wanna know which of us has the best – "

"Okay. I get it. Shit," she said. It was a bit surprising that Spied had taken such a defensive stance when it came to Karma since he was usually very nonchalant about it all. Maybe she had been right and he had finally seen it. But it was a blessing in disguise because Jude knew that given enough time, Spied would have most likely asked about _her_ night and that was a topic she didn't want to get into. Ever. That would permit her to say he was right about her as well. And that wasn't going to happen. The less he knew, the better she would be.

Gazing at the blonde, Jude bit her bottom lip. Though she had groupie written all over her, she looked like she had probably been around the block or two and that meant up and coming bands like SME were child's play and she was probably looking for the real thing now. She was so out of their league. Jude sighed and after feigning a few seconds of contemplation, she answered them. "You want my honest opinion?"

Spied smiled widely.

"She looks like she could eat the three of you for breakfast."

Spied gave Jude a hard look and turned away while Kyle and Wally crossed their arms over their chest and pouted like five year olds.

"Next time, play with someone your own size, kids," Jude said, patting Spied's thigh mockingly.

* * *

Automatic Stereo sat side by side, their noses deep in their coffee cups as Jack stood behind them, leaning against the breakfast bar, flipping through the newest issue of Solid. No one was less excited about the merger than the four of them since they all thought there was no need to add more talent to the roster. The only reason they had shown up was because Darius had said it was mandatory or else they all would have been sleeping away their hangovers for another hour or two before their first meeting with Alex Myers, their new producer.

The boys sat, staring out into G-Major's lobby, whispering to each other when Jack's hand smacked the back of James' head. "What are you girls whispering about?"

James sighed, having been used to the physical torment already. "How much you wanna bet the carpet doesn't match the drapes?" James murmured behind his coffee cup as he tilted his head to a certain redhead in the middle of the room.

C.J.'s shoulders shook in amusement as Jack answered what was already on everyone's mind. "Like you're ever gonna find out."

James' eyes lit up and he looked over his shoulder. "Are you gonna end the wager for us, J?"

Jack smirked widely, choosing not to answer his question. Michael shook his head, watching his friends interact.

"What do you think?" James asked, his head turning towards Michael who up until then had been completely silent.

"I don't know, I –"

"Well, you wanna know what I think?" Four heads turned to see an angry Eden, holding up a piece of paper. "I think this is a load of shit!"

"Taylor, please. Not everyone has had their daily share of caffeine yet," Jack pleaded.

Eden rolled her eyes and continued on. "I'm going on tour," she said, still brandishing her piece of paper.

Four pairs of eyes widened. "Wow. Congrats, E," James said.

"No. Not congrats."

"I don't get it. Why aren't you happy?" C.J. said, his brow furrowed.

"I'm going on a _club_ tour."

Jack winced. "Oh."

"I don't _do_ club tours."

* * *

Five minutes into the meeting and Jude was already bored. She had resorted to tapping her fingers against her knee to keep herself company since SME was pretending not to hear her every time she said something. _Boys_, she thought.

She sighed audibly and reached down into her bag as a strong gust of air blew across her face like someone had walked right by her. Before she could turn around and find out whom it might have been, she breathed in a smell. One she knew quite well now even if they had only spent a few hours together. Jude stopped searching in her bag and closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself not to turn around. Flashes of that night played behind her eyes and she clenched her teeth tightly.

Fucking A. Was this how it was going to be?

Breathing in deeply, she could still smell him as if he was sitting right beside her. Jude groaned silently and shook her head.

No. She could find the anger she had had and be strong. She had to. She had a song that proved otherwise and no amount of that amazing smell was going to stop her from ending whatever had started. But her mind couldn't stop her from doing the inevitable and she glanced over her shoulder.

There he was in all his glory, standing in Hospitality with a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face. Jude could feel her skin flush and she openly cringed, biting her bottom lip to keep from screaming out loud. It was unnerving to know that just the sight of him had caused her body to react that way. Even despite how she had felt hours prior. Maybe she was more sex-deprived than she thought. Or maybe her body knew something she didn't.

Either way, she was still pissed that he could stand there and act as if nothing was wrong.

Fucker.

His eyes locked with hers for a very brief second, his face stone-like, and then he turned toward Darius. Like what he was saying was oh so important to him. Right.

A blonde standing next to his right shoved a piece of paper into his hand and angrily whispered at him before looking up and seeing Jude stare at them. She glared intensely and for a split second Jude thought she was going to run and pounce on her like a cheetah. Jude stared for a few more seconds before the blonde jerked in her direction. His hand shot out, keeping the blonde in place, but it was his wide smirk that had Jude turning around angrily.

Mother f –

Jude sighed again, biting her bottom lip. Her hands formed into fists, her nails creating half-moon-shaped marks on her skin. It was then that she realized her song hadn't done its job. If it had, she wouldn't have given a flying fuck about the mystery man or the people around him. But she did.

Damnit.

She closed her eyes again just as lyrics infiltrated her head. His song. _It's not that your lipstick failed / But girl, I was just born to bail / I do it better on my own – _

She should have known. Hell, she did know. She saw it written on his face – he was a player. But somewhere between the car ride home and letting him into her house, she had forgotten. Or maybe she had chosen not to remember. And that thought frightened her slightly. Because that would have meant that she wanted it. She wanted him.

The skin on Jude's neck prickled and she turned her head slightly. The blonde was still glaring at her. Jude sighed. Five minutes later, it was the same thing, but his hold on the blonde's arm seemed tighter than before. Jude rolled her eyes and tried to concentrate on Darius' speech again. But another five minutes passed and it was the same thing all over again.

Jude clenched her jaw. "I swear to God, if she keeps staring at me like that I am going to – " Jude whispered.

Spied glanced over his shoulder, an amused smirk on his face. "Wrestle her in Jello?" he asked. Jude shook her head slightly.

"Or chocolate pudding and Oreo crumbs?" Three heads turned toward Wally, their eyes glancing at him incredulously. "I'm hungry," he said simply, shrugging.

Jude began to laugh when she heard her name called by a booming voice. "Jude, can you stand up for everyone?"

Slightly shaken, Jude stood up from her seat on the couch, glancing at Darius. She tried to dissipate the awkwardness she felt by not staring anyone in the eyes, but it only made her look worse. She bit her bottom lip to keep from cursing.

"Thank you. Now I'd like to introduce you to a familiar face – Tommy Quincy," Darius Mills announced to the crowd.

Jude glanced over her shoulder and her eyes took in his face. The face that now had a name – Tommy. Putting the two together, something clicked in her head. He was familiar, but from where, she couldn't remember. His blue eyes caught her staring at him and he winked at her, a wide smirk painting his face.

Pretending to scratch her forehead, Jude flipped him the bird and turned around to face Darius.

"With that said, I'd like you all to welcome G-Major and Downbeat's two newest artists," Darius said, his hands outstretched in Tommy and Jude's direction.

From behind her, Jude heard what sounded like a shriek and the clacking of heels as they raced across the tiled floor to some unknown direction. When Jude turned her head seconds later, the blonde that had taken a spot next to Tommy was gone.

Jude glanced back at the spot the blonde had filled that was now vacant, when Tommy waved his fingers at her. Her eyes locked with his. After a few seconds, he smiled and pressed his fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss.

Jude clenched her jaw and turned away. She didn't need to see his smug face again.

Somehow in the few seconds that she had been entranced by Tommy and his female counterpart, the crowd had dispersed and the only ones left were Tommy and Jude. Jude could see SME crowded around the receptionist's desk, Spied trying to get the blonde to feel up his bicep.

She rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching even tighter. Glancing at the clock above one of the studios' doors, Jude silently groaned, knowing that she still had time before she was supposed to meet her new producer. Time with nothing for her to do.

There was a nagging feeling at the base of her neck that caused her to turn around after she took one last look at Spied's pitiful display of flirting. Her eyes locked with Tommy's as she caught him staring at her ass.

Grabbing her bag, she made her way to Hospitality only to see him audibly groan. A smile formed on her face and she closed the distance between them quickly.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Tommy didn't trust his subconscious enough to sleep so he spent the night listening to his finished song on repeat. For ten straight hours.

He was afraid. Not that he would admit it to anyone – not even Kwest who already knew the source of his problem. He knew if he slept she was all he would think about, not that his song had helped block out visions of her lips or the moaning sound she made when he –

No. He was not going down that road again.

Their little exchanges that morning hadn't helped either.

He had placed a careful façade over his personality that morning when he had come back from showering. He knew that he had to keep her at arm's length in order to keep the mess he had created from eating him alive and the best way to do that was to push her a little.

Every glance and smirk was calculated, but he hadn't expected Eden to get so territorial. He noticed the instant change in air between the girls, neither knowing the full story on the other.

He would deal with Eden on his own. But Jude was another story - he didn't need or want anyone knowing exactly how it was that he knew her. That would not bode well for him.

If only he could stop staring at her. Her hair. Her eyes. Her ass.

He had to stop. He knew he had willpower somewhere; he just had to find it.

And he would…eventually.

Maybe.

Okay, probably not.

"Did you come here to talk or smack me across the face again?!" he asked.

Jude smirked. "We both know you deserved it…Tommy."

His brow furrowed and he racked his brain trying to find out why the way she said his name sounded different. Then it hit him. It was because it was the first time in the entire time they had known each other that she had said it – his name. He never told her.

The smirk on her face widened as she saw realization paint his.

"I never told you, did I?!"

She shook her head.

"Then I guess I did deserve the slap," he conceded.

"How gentlemanly of you." She rolled her eyes.

A moment of silence passed between them before Tommy said, "So what's up?!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she sat down on one of the stools next to her. He wasn't that smooth. "You really think you can get by with _what's up?!_"

"I'm trying. Is it working?" he said, a faint smirk painting his face.

Jude rolled her eyes. "I think we should talk."

Tommy shook his head. "I don't really talk."

"I find that hard to believe," Jude said sardonically, placing her bag on the stool next to her.

"Look, if you're trying to get me to apologize for my song – I can't do that." Jude clenched her jaw, becoming silent. Only Tommy would be narcissistic enough to think she was still hung up on his song. Even though she was, but that wasn't the point.

"I didn't come here for an apology. I didn't even know that a man like you knew how to apologize," she said.

"Actually I do, " he said, his voice slightly husky. "_I'm sorry for the hickey on your neck. I'm sorry for your ripped dress_. _I_ – do I need to go on?!" he said, baiting her. A slight smirk painted his face as he noticed the light pink tinge that had overcome her face. She also thought he had noticed her hand subconsciously running over the bruise she had painted over with foundation earlier that morning.

She bit her bottom lip and then cocked her head to the side. He would regret ever making her blush. "I wasn't wearing a dress," she said.

"Oops, sorry, wrong fuck," he said, shrugging.

Jude scoffed. "Since we're on the subject of clothes, I happened to run into a little problem last night."

Tommy instantly cleared his throat. Jude pretended not to notice, a faint smile playing on her lips. "You see, I am now the owner of a fabulous pair of Gucci boxers, however, I cannot for the life of me find the underwear I was wearing the night we fucked." Tommy started to look incredibly uncomfortable and Jude had to fight the urge not to laugh. He took a deep breath and Jude continued. "I know exactly what kind I was wearing and though I have searched everywhere for them, I can't find them. So I was wondering if you by chance picked them up on your mad dash out of my bathroom window."

Tommy clenched his jaw. He knew exactly where they were, but he was certain that she couldn't possibly know how he _picked them up_. And he wasn't about to tell her. It would have been mortifying.

There was only one person who knew and he needed it to stay that way.

"Something like that," he muttered.

"What was that?!" she asked, amusement evident in her voice.

"I said I'll buy you a new pair."

Jude's brow furrowed. "Or you could give me my old ones back."

"You really want them back?!"

Jude bit her bottom lip and shook her head silently. There was something in his eyes that made her not want to ask what he meant by that.

"That's what I thought."

Awkward silence engulfed the pair, neither of them knowing how to continue their conversation.

Tommy cleared his throat and took a sip of his coffee. The cold liquid ran down his throat and he grimaced. His eyes locked with the side of Jude's face as she glanced at the basket of fruit sitting on the counter.

She looked so – fucking A. He was letting her get to him.

He sighed and she turned to look up at him.

"If you didn't come here for an apology, then why have you graced me with your presence other than to bust my balls."

Jude bit her bottom lip before taking a deep breath. The thought had occurred to her last night while she was writing hers that she could just ask him not to use his. Simple. Not entirely effective, but it couldn't hurt. Though she had no thought about not using hers. "I had the insane thought of asking you not to use your song."

"You're right. That was insane," he said instantly.

Jude shrugged. "I knew the worst that could happen was you saying no so okay."

Tommy sighed, the feeling that he would regret this later forming in the pit of his stomach. But he didn't care. "I know that yesterday was not an ideal situation and I am sorry for kind of ambushing you."

"I didn't leave you a lot of room to do otherwise, I know."

"Yeah," Tommy said. He took a deep breath. "So I know the song got to you and for that fact alone, I am willing to sit on it."

"Excuse me?!" Jude said. "You're going to sit on your song?! Is this some pity thing because – "

"No," he said. "Think of it as a free pass…for the new kid." He smirked.

Jude smirked as well, but an entirely different reason. It was kind of perfect how it worked out. He was going to sit on his song and she was going to get to record hers anyway. Maybe she'd even get it her song to Darius and Georgia before him did his. The smirk on Jude's face grew. He was going to regret this for sure, but she was not going to be the one to talk him out of it.

"No strings," she said.

He shook his head. "I don't do strings unless they're tying a pretty little thing to a bed."

Jude made a gagging noise.

Tommy laughed. Then he tilted his head to the side and said in the low voice, "Maybe next time we can try – "

Jude clenched her jaw and flipped him the bird before he could finish his sentence. She grabbed her bag off the stool and walked away from Hospitality to the bathroom. He watched her retreating form, the thought of following her in just to piss her off quickly flashed into his head, but he thought better of it and made his way back to his former office to wait for the new producer.

* * *

After draining herself of three cups of coffee, Jude walked out of her stall to wash her hands. There in front of her was Patsy Sewer.

Jude cringed at the reminder that some of her friends had wanted to come and check out the new studio.

"Hey Pats," Jude said, surprise evident in her voice.

Patsy glanced at Jude through the mirror in front of her and smiled. "Hey, how's my favorite rockstar?"

"I'll be good once the day is over." Jude pulled her bag higher up on her shoulder before turning the faucet on and wetting her hands.

"Rough day already?" Patsy turned her faucet off.

Jude glanced up from her sink and sighed. She leaned against the porcelain, hearing the water flow for a few seconds before answering. "You could say that again. I thought this blonde chick was going to bite my head off and then there's always Tommy – "

"Who's Tommy?" Patsy asked, her brow furrowed.

Jude's eyes widened slightly. Shit. _Nice job, Jude_. "Um, this new artist."

"Your competition?"

Jude bit her bottom lip. That wasn't necessarily a lie. He was. Sort of. "I guess you could say that. It's just he's not really new. He's been around, I guess, and everyone likes him or maybe they're just scared of him. I don't know."

Patsy stared at her for second before she walked off to get a paper towel to dry her hands. Jude did not take that as a good sign. She could never lie to Patsy. Or lie well at all.

"I just have to forget about him," Jude said, shrugging. "I'll do my thing and let him to his thing and hopefully I'll come out on top."

Patsy turned around with a wide smirk on her face. "Well, lucky for you, being on top is your favorite position so you should be fine."

Jude scoffed, laughter pouring from her lips. She shook her head, biting her bottom lip. Patsy shrugged, a small laugh echoing against the tiled room tossed her used paper towel in the trashcan.

"Hey, I'm taking Sadie out shopping later, you wanna come?"

Patsy cocked one eyebrow in disbelief. "You know I don't shop. Why do you think I always look like I came from a trash bin?"

"Cause you came from a trash bin," Jude said, smiling.

"Funny, Harrison," Patsy said, walking to the door. "I'll see you later."

Jude's smile widened. "Have fun!"

The door closed and Jude turned back toward her sink, pumping the soap dispenser. Bright white foam filled her hands and rubbed the together as a bathroom stall opened.

"Hey new girl."

Jude looked up into her mirror, a tall, brunette reflection looking back at her. The girl walked up to the sink that Patsy had just vacated, the sound of her boot heels echoing off the tiled floor.

"Um, do I know you?"

The girl smirked, her full lips holding back a biting remark. "No, but you should."

"Excuse me?" Jude rinsed her hands quickly and turned to her right, wanting to see the girl in the flesh.

"You can pull the innocent act all you want, but I need you to know that whatever little game you're playing – it isn't going to work." The girl turned on her faucet and pumped the soap dispenser. In five seconds flat, she was done washing her hands.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jude said, shaking her head. Who the fuck was this chick? And why was she talking like this?

A sardonic laugh echoed. "Let me make myself very clear – stay away from both of them. I can make your life hell, new girl."

Jude bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes. "Is that a threat?"

The brunette shrugged. "You can take it however you want to. Just know that I am worse than whatever high school nightmare you're conjuring in your head. Believe me."

Jude clenched her jaw. "I'll take my chances."

The girl smiled, but Jude could feel the coldness radiating from it in a second flat. "Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Without drying her hands, the girl turned on her heel and walked out the bathroom door. Jude rolled her eyes.

What the fuck was up with everyone today?

* * *

It took Jude a few seconds to banish the thoughts of all the craziness she had encountered so early in her day. But one thing stuck out amongst the mess – Tommy's little 'free pass.'

It was just enough to make her smile.

From the bathroom, Jude made her way to Studio B for her first meeting with her producer. Through the small pane of glass in the door, she could see he was waiting for her at the sound board. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked into the room.

"Hi, my name is Jude Harrison," she said, a smile on her face. "I'm supposed to meet – "

The man sitting at the soundboard turned around with a large smile on his face.

The smile was instantly exchanged with a frown as Jude tried everything not to groan or clench her teeth. "Oh fuck me now," Jude muttered with a sigh.

A laugh escaped from the man's lips before he got out of his chair and walked towards Jude. "The name is Kwest. And didn't Tommy already do that?"

Jude gave in and clenched her teeth. "You're hilarious, Kwest. Just hilarious."

He held out his hand for her to shake as he said, "Thanks. My mother thinks so too." Kwest walked back to his sit and then pointed to the chair next to him. Jude took the invitation as Kwest smirked suspiciously at her. He was not about to tell her that she was sitting in Quincy's seat. She would figure it out on her own if need be.

Jude eyed him warily but thought better about asking him what was up. She didn't want any more craziness in her life right now. Instead, she reached in her bag and pulled out a black, tattered journal.

Sighing, she placed her journal on her lap and glanced at Kwest. "So I've decided I want to impose a rule."

"A rule?"

"Yes, a rule," Jude said. This had to be done or the madness would follow her everywhere. Something Jude did not want or need. "A rule about there being no discussion about a Mr. Tommy Quincy…ever."

Kwest's brow rose. "And you think I am hilarious? You've got yourself a comedy hour, sister." Jude gave him pointed look. Kwest sighed and took a quick glance at the ceiling. "Look, I'm gonna get this out there before you start enforcing your rule."

Jude stayed silent, knowing that it was better for her to listen to him than try and interrupt him. He was her producer, but he was also a man. And a man could be a downright big baby sometimes. "While I respect the fact that you are trying to put things behind you, you need to realize that if you didn't hook up when you did, it would have happened eventually. Tommy would have done everything he could have to get into your pants."

Jude gaped. Maybe she had been wrong about not interrupting him. He was just as bad as his counterpart. Would the whole Quincy thing ever end?

"I'm just saying that though I know my best friend seems like a jackass, underneath all the Mangella hair gel, nice clothes, and too cool for school attitude, he's got a heart of gold. And I would hate for it to be broken twice."

"Care to explain?" Jude asked, her brain storing the information for the next time she talked to Quincy. She couldn't wait to see his face.

"Already breaking your own rule, Harrison? Shame on you." Kwest shook his head, a wide smirk painting his face.

Jude clenched her jaw. Figures.

"How about you show me what you got?"

Jude silently groaned. With lines like that it wasn't a surprise that Kwest was Tommy's best friend. She rolled her eyes as she made her way behind the glass. This was wonderful. Just fucking wonderful.

* * *

After four hours in the studio, Jude was surprised to see Patsy still hanging out at G-Major. But what stopped her in her tracks was what she was doing and with whom.

Patsy was standing in Hospitality, talking to that brunette from the bathroom.

What the f –

Patsy waved Jude over to the breakfast bar with a weary smile. Though Jude wanted nothing more than to turn right around and sequester herself into the studio with Kwest, he had already told her she was done for the day and she knew it would look just a tad bit suspicious if she waltzed back in there and asked to _hang out_ or something equally awkward.

So Jude clenched her jaw and walked toward the bar.

"Jude, I'd like you to meet Alicia Jackson," Patsy said, holding her hand out Vanna White-style to introduce the brunette sitting in front of her. The brunette turned on the stool and held out her hand to Jude.

"Also known as Jack," she said, smiling. This time there was a warmth in it that left Jude weary. "It's nice to meet you. And I wanted to apologize for the bathroom run-in. I got a little jealous."

Jude's eyebrows furrowed. Jealous? Jude's eyes locked with Patsy's for a split second and she could read the pleading. She'd talk to Patsy later. "Um, okay. Apology accepted…Jack."

Jude shook Jack's hand and then bit her bottom lip. Silence encased the trio and Jude racked her brain for any excuse to leave the pair behind. Thankfully Patsy got there before her.

"Jude, didn't you say you were taking Sadie shopping – "

"You're right!" she started, excitedly. Patsy bit back a laugh. "I , go!" she finished in one breath.

And then Jude was gone, running to her car before Patsy or Jack could make her stay.

* * *

"Hit me with it."

"Excuse me?" Kwest spun his chair around to see his best friend sitting in the chair his artist had just left with a giant smile on his face.

"I want to hear her song." Tommy had spent the last two hours talking to Alex Myers, his replacement. It was nothing short of a painful dentist visit. Awkward conversation. Big egos. Pretentious music knowledge. You know the drill.

But the one thing that kept floating back into Quincy's mind that made it all worth it was the fact that Jude had been recording her song. And now that she was gone, she couldn't stop him from listening to it.

A smile slowly painted Kwest's face and he shook his head as laughter poured from his lips.

"What's so funny?" Tommy asked.

"The fact that you think I'm just going to play the song for you. You have no idea how long it took me to convince her I wasn't your wing man."

Tommy smiled and Kwest rolled his eyes. "I am not your wing man."

Tommy held his hands up in surrender. "Whatever you say, man. I just want to hear the damn song."

"No," Kwest said, shaking his head. "I've already been threatened harm to my _manly parts_; I don't need it to actually happen."

A soft chuckle slipped from Tommy's lips and Kwest's brow furrowed. "You too?"

Tommy nodded. "It's Jude. What do you expect?" he said, shrugging.

Kwest stared at Tommy for a second and then shook his head, wheeling himself to the soundboard. "You sure do know how to pick them."

Kwest changed a level and Jude's voice came pouring out of the speakers above Tommy's head. It was a rough cut that didn't display any range she might have had, but it was the chorus that had Tommy grimacing.

It was then that he knew he had made a mistake in offering to sit on his own song. This was war and there was no going back.

_It's just you and your hand tonight_

- - - - - -

Nick watched as the blonde copy editor moved his photo a little more to the left. She eyed it for a second before smiling widely.

"It's perfect." From over her shoulder, she lifted her hand and Nick high-fived it.

With another click of her mouse, the article was uploaded to Talk National's website, the full cover story being added to that week's publication. Though Nick knew all the time spent next to that dirty trash can was going to make him more money than he made in a week at Tryst, it was the title of the online article that had him smiling like a little boy.

_Move Over Spiderman, Tommy Quincy's Here to Save the Day!_

* * *

Preview**:**

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Five

"A 'Girl' Fight"

No preview…yet – just one thing to say: a little blondie is going to find the article(s) and then I think you can guess what will happen from there. ;)

Okay, forget what I said...here's a little teaser:

"_So you think you can just fuck your way around and everyone will just buy into your innocent act – it doesn't work that way, Jude."_

_"You're a fucking jackass._"


	7. Chapter 5: A 'Girl' Fight

**A/N: **Holy crap this year has gone by so fast! I had no idea it's been this long since I've updated. Super sorry – as always! :]

I won't say anything else so you can start reading. Hope you like it!

**THANKS**:

Joseph Santiago: Thank you! :]

shadylady21: I'm so glad. It should be interesting. Hmmm, that sounds like a plausible idea. You'll find out about Pats and Jack in this chapter.

anothercasualty: LOL. I'm an irresponsible writer, so no biggies. Yay! Thank you! LOL. Love it.

Kathy101: LOL. I like Kwest too. Jack will be explained more in this chapter.

**Disclaimer**: The Ice Hotel. Song used: "High Hope In Velvet Ropes" By The Cab. Listen to it. It will rock your world. :D

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

**

* * *

**

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Five

"A 'Girl' Fight"

Georgia Bevans hung up her phone for the third time in a matter of minutes, feeling incredibly confused. She had been at G-Major for a little over a half an hour and the press had already called multiple times asking about her newest artists.

Having been in the industry for longer than most, it didn't take long for her to realize something was up. The press release the PR department had created and posted yesterday wouldn't have caused this much of a ruckus. Sure Tommy Quincy coming out of a so-called _retirement_ was news, but he had his face plastered on so many tabloids that it was hard to forget him. There had to be something else. And she needed to know now.

Pressing the intercom button, she called for one of the receptionists.

A few seconds passed and her office door opened without a knock. In came a young blonde, carrying a stack of press packets. Amongst them – tabloids.

Thanking Jessica, who smiled as widely as her faux tanned face would allow, Georgia turned to the stack in front of her. Waiting for the clear click of the door closing, Georgia picked up the first magazine. Within a few seconds, she picked up nothing that needed her attention.

Searching her desk for coffee, she tossed the magazine to the side. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw it.

Talk National. A blown-up picture of her two newest artists kissing graced the cover.

Her chest clenched and her hands turned into fists.

_Jude Harrison_.

Georgia let out a low breath, closed her eyes, and then picked up her phone.

She had some damage control to do.

**-M-**

It was mid-morning when Jude and Sadie Harrison graced G-Major with their presence. Jude had to finish her vocals and Sadie was – well, along for the ride. Killing time, as she liked to put it, until Jude was done so that she could fulfill her end of the shopping deal she had promised Sadie.

Having spent most of the previous day studying, Sadie had been too tired to go shopping. So she let Jude talk her into going the following day. And here they were.

Sadie sat on a swivel chair near some of the PR department's unused computers, watching G-Major in full-force. She tapped her fingers against the black countertop and sighed. Weren't record labels supposed to be fun?

The vibrant blue of a sports car had been stuck in Sadie Harrison's mind for a few days. Mocking her. Taunting her. And she couldn't take it anymore.

Her fingertips tapped the mouse in front of her and the computer came to life. After a few seconds of waking up, Sadie double-clicked the Safari shortcut button. A window opened and Sadie typed her query into the search box on Google.

Famous Blue Sports Cars.

A list of results came up and Sadie clicked on the first one. Nothing.

She clicked 'back' and started again.

A frustrated sigh escaped Sadie's lips as she exited the thirteenth result. Nothing.

Giving up, she clicked 'Home' and the newly merged G-Major/Downbeat homepage appeared.

Sadie played with the site a little until she gasped.

There sitting behind a young man she'd recognize almost anywhere was the car that had been haunting her the past few days.

Sadie clicked the arrow and a new picture replaced the young man and his car. She smiled almost instantly for this one her 12 year-old self knew as well.

Five young, very attractive guys stood side by side, wearing matching white bandanas and parachute pants. Matching smiles. Matching 'hand grabs.'

It was BoyzAttack.

A one hit wonder boyband that Sadie had idolized all through middle school. One hit single from a mediocre pop album had sent five guys into pop oblivion. Instant fame created instant egos and after a year of nonstop touring and promotion, the band called it quits. Sadie had kept tabs on the boys for awhile until she started high school and it was no longer fashionable to be a BoyzAttack fan.

She hadn't thought about them in months – the last time she played their one hit, "Pick Up the Pieces."

Sadie hummed the song in her head until the small photo gallery stopped again at the picture of the young man leaning against the bright blue sports car.

She stopped suddenly, her pulse racing, as realization rushed over her.

Jude had slept with Lil' Tommy Q.

Lil' Tommy Q had slept with her sister.

A smirk painted Sadie's face. If Jude knew this already it was no wonder she had continued to fight her about her one night stand. Jude hated BoyzAttack – with a passion.

But what if she didn't? Sadie's smirk turned into a full-blown smile. She exited the browser and stood up.

It was her sisterly duty to tell Jude about what she'd found out. It would be rude not to, right? Right.

**-M-**

"Take 5."

"But – "

"Jude," Kwest started, sighing. "_I_ need a break."

A slight pink blush formed on Jude's face. "Oh."

They had only been recording for an hour and a half and Jude had done too many takes for Kwest to remember the full count. He was having a hard time deciphering who was the producer and who was the artist. So he had to put his foot down.

"Your perfectionist ways almost make Quincy look tame," Kwest muttered.

"Are you breaking my rules and mentioning He Who Must Not Be Name?"

Kwest glanced up from the soundboard to see a glaring Jude standing in the doorway to the live room. He sheepishly smiled. "I didn't know you were a closet Hogwarts student. That explains a lot, you know?"

A wide smile broke out on Jude's face. "I'm afraid to ask."

"I'm a Ravenclaw. I have you pegged as a Slytherin some days."

Jude shook her head, a smile still on her face as she walked to the studio door. "I don't even want to know how you know the difference," she remarked, laughing.

Jude made her way to Hospitality, using her break as an excuse for more coffee – not that she really needed an excuse. Or more coffee for that matter.

Standing at the nook was Patsy and her new friend, Jack. Jude's brow furrowed, knowing full well she hadn't invited her friend for another visit. Patsy called her over and Jude reluctantly followed.

"Hey Jude," Jack said, smiling wide.

Patsy rolled her eyes. "I told her it annoys you, but she wanted to see it for herself. That's just how she is."

Jack scoffed. "You know you love it."

Jude felt like she had been transported to the Twilight Zone – the Jack she had met yesterday was not the same one standing in front of her now.

"Okay. What is going on? You guys are kind of freaking me out."

Jack smiled and then turned toward Patsy. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

For the first time in a very long time since Jude had known Patsy, a look of pure unadulterated uneasiness covering her face. It made Jude smile. It took something pretty crazy to make Patsy look like that.

Jack rolled her eyes. "You know our bathroom run-in?"

The smile vanished. Jude's jaw clenched. "Yes."

"When I said stay away from them, one of _them_ meant Pats."

Jude's brow furrowed. "Why would I – oh. _Oh_." Jude rubbed the back of her neck. The craziness of the day was just getting started Jude could tell. First Kwest was a closet Harry Potter fan. Now Patsy was introducing her to her ex-girlfriend. What was next? Someone finding out about Tommy?

"I meant to tell you yesterday, but I just – " Patsy started.

"Chickened out," Jack finished.

Patsy smacked Jack on the arm and Jack smiled.

Jude bit her bottom lip. Did she really want to know the answer to question that was at the forefront of her brain? She was a Harrison, so yes. She did. "What happened?" she asked.

Pats shrugged and then said, "We were both starting out. Music was more important to us than each other, I guess,"

"Now we're just friends," Jack said. The tone of her voice was all Jude needed to hear. Jack was so not over Pats. Maybe if she had the chance she'd talk to Patsy in private. From the little time she'd seen them together, she'd never seen Patsy smile so much.

A tap resonated on Jude's shoulder and Jude glanced over her shoulder. A young blonde stared at her. "Yeah?"

"Kwest wanted me to tell you that you're done for the day. There's some emergency meeting he has to attend to so you can come in tomorrow morning at 9."

Before Jude could respond, the blonde handed her her bag and started to walk away.

Jude turned around, a confused look painted on her face. There went her day. Shopping with Sadie was next then.

Yay?

"Don't worry about Jessica. She's like that with all the girls. If you don't have a penis, you don't exist."

Jude's eyebrows rose. Jessica was like a mini Sadie. "Well, okay then." Jude smiled.

"Jude!"

Jude glanced over her shoulder only to see her sister, Sadie Harrison, running to her with a bright smile on her face. This was not good.

"I get to leave early so we can go shopping now."

Sadie's smile faltered a bit. "Oh, " she said softly, but Jude wasn't paying attention.

"Bye guys," Jude said, waving to Patsy and Jack. She began to walk away and Sadie had to take a few large steps to catch up to her.

"Jude, before we go, I need to tell you something."

Jude glanced at Sadie and knew instantly from the look in her sister's eyes that she was not going to like whatever she had to say. They had reached the set of double doors that led to the front entrance when Sadie reached out and grabbed Jude's arm, halting Jude's movements.

"You slept with Lil' Tommy Q," Sadie blurted.

Jude whipped her head around so fast that Sadie thought she was going to experience whiplash. The glare from her sister's eyes was enough to make Sadie visibly cringe – which she rarely did.

"No," Jude said matter-of-factly and pulled her arm from Sadie's grasp. "No."

Sadie slowly nodded her head.

Jude stared at her sister with wide eyes. This could not be happening. Of everyone in the world – let alone Canada – Sadie picked Lil' Tommy Q? It couldn't be true.

If it was, she didn't know what she was going to do. All she knew was that it wouldn't be good – for anyone.

Jude handed off her bag to Sadie without saying anything. She couldn't find the words. Well, nothing appropriate for the workplace at least.

Jude walked away, blindly, not taking anything or anyone in. She just knew she had to walk away.

Tommy. Quincy. Lil' Tommy Q.

No fucking way.

**-M-**

The door opened with a bang that he could hear through his headphones. Kwest looked up from the soundboard only to see Jude muttering to herself. Or maybe to him. He wasn't sure since he still had his headphones on.

He pulled them off his ears slowly, not completely sure if he wanted to deal with Jude at that particular moment given the shade of red her face had turned in the mere seconds she had been in the room.

She looked up at him and he could almost feel the heat from her anger. "I thought you had an emergency meeting?"

"I do," he said, placing his headphones on the board and rolling away from Jude. He didn't know her all that well, but was pretty sure she was a girl who followed through with her threats. "In 15 minutes. What are you still doing here?"

"I need – "

"So D said – "

Kwest looked over Jude's shoulder to see Tommy standing in the doorway, the rough cut of his Post-Jude song in his right hand. Jude turned, having been interrupted by his voice.

The pair openly grimaced at each other and it took all of the strength in Kwest's face not to smile.

"You," the pair said simultaneously.

Kwest gave up and smiled.

"You're Lil' Tommy Q!" Jude yelled.

Kwest's eyes widened. Those were fighting words. As Tommy walked into the studio more, Kwest rolled his chair away from the pair. He only wanted to be a spectator, not an actual participant.

Tommy turned slightly and placed his demo on a speaker and then glanced at Jude. "It's just Tommy now. I dropped the little and Q a long time ago."

Jude's jaw clenched. "I beg to differ on the little."

A squeak exited Kwest's lips and he immediately turned his chair around. What was Jude doing?

Tom folded his arms across his chest. "I wasn't hearing any complaining from you that night. _Ohhhh, do it again! Just like that!_"

If Tommy had been talking to anyone else but Jude, Kwest might not have care, but he turned his chair slightly just to make sure Jude was okay. He glanced at her and his fears were confirmed. Her face was red and she was breathing heavily, but not because she was about to cry. It was probably because she was seconds of away from punching Tommy.

"You're _Lil' Tommy Q_!" Jude yelled. Tommy rolled his eyes. "You don't think you should have mentioned that?" Jude asked, crossing her arms. Tommy stayed silent. BoyzAttack was not his favorite topic of conversation.

"BoyzAttack is my past. Everyone knows about it, so no, I didn't think I had to say anything. I kind of had you pegged as a fan." Jude made a gagging sound that had Kwest seconds away from laughing out loud. "I guess I was wrong," Tommy said, smiling.

"So wrong."

"You're pissed off because you fucked me? That's it?"

Jude looked away.

"Because the way I see it is that I should be pissed at you. I heard your song, Jude." Jude glanced up at Tommy. "If you think you can just fuck your way around and everyone will just buy into your innocent act – you're wrong. It doesn't work that way, Jude."

Kwest was very close to interjecting at that moment. He'd known many times where Tommy used his talents to get a job. And they weren't for anything behind a sound board or microphone either.

"I never pretended to be innocent."

"Right. So what was with the doe-eyed _can you not use your song_ shit then?"

Jude narrowed her eyes. "It would have been a matter of courtesy not that guys like you know anything about that. And I never once went doe-eyed. I asked you a question and you took it from there, so don't blame me."

"Can you stop with the _guys like me_ comments. You used me the moment you saw me."

Jude rolled her eyes. "I wasn't lying about not knowing you. I _hate_ BoyzAttack – my sister is the uber fan. Knowing that I screwed you makes me skin crawl. So no, I didn't come into this thinking 'let me fuck my way to the top' because unlike you, I actually love what I do and for you to think that you're the only who has a handle on this 'I'm a playboy and I can write songs about girls who don't matter' attitude is pure bullshit. Don't lecture me – "

"I never said that," Tommy said. He could see the honesty written all over Jude's face.

She faltered. "What?"

"I didn't say you didn't matter," Tommy said, shaking his head. He didn't know what made him say it, but he had and he knew he couldn't take it back now.

Jude clenched her jaw. "That's not the point – "

"Well, I'm sorry if that's how you feel."

"Jesus, Tommy. It always comes back to you, doesn't it?" Jude said, her voice breaking at the end.

Tommy looked away, staying silent.

Jude bit her bottom lip. She didn't feel sorry for Tommy. At all. She just felt…drained. "Just forget it. I can't even have a conversation with you."

"Jude – " Tommy started, but Jude had already began to walk away. She opened the door to the live room and walked to the stool where her guitar sat.

The conversation was over.

Tommy shook his head and walked out of the studio, leaving a silent Kwest stunned. Tommy had never ever backed down from an argument – especially with a girl.

Jude was getting to him and Kwest knew if Tommy wasn't careful things would only get messier.

**-M-**

An hour passed in which Jude tried to work on her song. But every time she came up just a tad bit short from perfection.

Kwest pressed the intercom button. "Take a break. I don't need you losing your voice over Little Tommy Q."

Kwest thought his comment would make Jude laugh or even smirk – something, anything. But it didn't.

She walked out of the live room and muttered, "Fucking Tommy."

"Wait – what about your rules?" Kwest said as he changed a level.

"Rules are meant to be broken." Jude threw herself into Tommy's chair and rolled back into a speaker.

Kwest laughed. "Oh lord, you and Tommy are meant to be."

Jude looked up at the ceiling and clenched her jaw. "Bite me, Kwest."

"I'll leave that for Tommy. He'd enjoy it more."

Someone cleared their throat and Jude turned her head the right and there stood Tommy Quincy with a wide smirk on his face.

Jude flipped both Kwest and Tommy off. Stupid boys.

The room stayed silent for a few seconds before Kwest decided to say something. But an intercom interrupted him.

The intercom spurred and out came, "Jude and Tommy to the conference room."

Jude and Tommy locked eyes. She could see he was as equally confused and nervous as she was.

Tommy reached the studio door at the same time she did. He held it open and said, "Age before beauty."

Jude shook her head and smirked. "One-hit wonders before real musicians."

Tommy was ready to retort, but the chance never came.

"You guys do know that was Darius on the intercom, right?"

Within seconds the studio door was closing and Tommy and Jude were nowhere to be found.

Kwest rolled his eyes. "They both need to get laid again."

**-M-**

The conference room could have been a miniature replica of the Ice Hotel for all Jude knew because the cold stares and forced smiles did nothing to warm her up.

Darius Mills sat at the head of the table with Georgia by his side. At the other end were two plastic chairs. Jude stared at them, but before she could pick one, Tommy pulled out the seat closest to her and plopped himself in it. He leaned back, his legs stretched in front of him.

Jude rolled her eyes. Jackass.

There wasn't much room behind Tommy now that he wasn't sitting so she had to climb over his legs. She knew it was a bad idea, but there was no other way. Unless she wanted to sit on the floor or Tommy's lap. Neither of which she was actually contemplating doing.

Jude placed her hand on the arm rest of Tommy's chair and it went downhill from there. Tommy picked up his left leg slightly, just as Jude had moved her left leg. Jude shifted and hit her leg on Tommy's, sending herself to the ground on her ass.

Tommy bit back a laugh and Jude flipped him off. Her ass stung a little. She dusted herself off and gingerly sat in the chair next to Tommy.

She glanced at him and his face had a mock look of concern written all over it. She punched him just as Darius yelled, "Enough!"

Jude jumped and she could feel Tommy tense up.

"Would either of you liked to explain this?"

Georgia slid a magazine down to their end and Tommy leaned over and picked it up before Jude even thought about it. Tommy stared at the cover for a few seconds and then tossed it to Jude.

"It's not what you think," Tommy began.

All the air rushed out of Jude's body as she gazed at the cover of Talk National. There plastered in all its HD glory was a picture of her and Tommy – kissing.

Jude could feel her coffee stirring in her stomach.

Jude turned the magazine over and looked up. Three pairs of eyes looked back at her and Tommy's closed for a split second. Then he looked over at Darius and Georgia.

"Okay, it is what you think," he said.

Jude bit her bottom lip as she locked eyes with Georgia. She could see the disappointment written all over her face. This is not how she wanted to start out in the business.

"It wasn't planned," Jude said, softly. "We didn't even know who the other was until yesterday. It was stupid and should have never happened and I still can't believe I slept with Little Tommy Q – "

Tommy's head snapped to his left. "Hey!"

Seeing Tommy annoyed caused Darius to smirk and Georgia to smile. They knew how rare a sight it was.

Jude glanced at Tommy and shrugged. "This was a onetime thing. Not going to happen again." Jude raised an eyebrow to further prove her belief in her statement and Tommy rolled his eyes.

He turned toward D and Georgia and nodded. "Won't happen again."

D clenched his jaw. "Saying that I trust the two of you together – romantic or not – is the understatement of the year."

Tommy clenched his jaw.

"But seeing as this is the only way for all parties involved to come out unscathed, I'm going to have to. From this moment on, the two of you are not allowed to be alone together – "

"What?" Jude and Tommy said simultaneously.

Even knowing Darius as long as he had, Tommy was surprised by what he was asking of them.

"Tommy is a notorious playboy and Jude is just starting out here. I don't need the backlash this is going to cause if the public finds out you actually like each other."

"We don't – " Jude started.

"It doesn't matter. All of Canada will judge you regardless," Darius finished.

Jude rolled her eyes. This had 'hot mess' written all over it.

"Be here at 7 sharp tomorrow. Our PR team is fixing your mess and we'll know how to move on from there. Don't be late."

Tommy took that as his cue to leave and got out of his chair. He walked to the conference room door and opened it before turning around. He glanced at Jude who just stared at him and then motioned to the door.

Realizing what he meant, she got out of her chair and walked out of the room. Together they walked to the double-door front entrance.

"Is he serious?" Jude asked after a few seconds of silence.

"He's Darius. Serious is his middle name."

Jude sighed. "You do know this is all your fault."

"My fault? How do you figure?"

"If you hadn't come up with that lame excuse about using my restroom then they never would have caught us kissing and you wouldn't have had to jump out of my bathroom window."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Naïveté – it's attractive on you."

Jude gave him a pointed look.

"One way or another they would have caught us kissing."

Jude clenched her teeth and muttered, "Fucking Kwest."

Tommy's brow furrowed. "What does Kwest have to do with anything?"

"Nevermind." Jude shook her head.

Without thinking, Tommy blurted, "It's because you're a redhead."

"What?" Jude asked as she opened the double doors.

Tommy never answered her.

Even though the sun was high – the flashes from the numerous cameras blinded him and he forgot what he was going to say. Not that Jude would have heard him – the volume of the voices standing in front of them would have drowned out any answer he would have given.

Tommy blinked and he realized what the chaos outside meant – Canada knew about the kiss.

Jude glanced at Tom as he stopped beside her.

Fucking paparazzi.

* * *

Preview:

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Six

"Safest Place To Hide"

It was never about you.

_She wouldn't admit it, but it hurt more than she imagined hearing that. Was it wrong that she wanted it to be about her? That she wanted to matter – even in that fucked up way?_

"_I mean, I don't do things like fuck around with random strangers and – "_

"_I'm not that random. I'm Little Tommy Q."_

"_And that makes it so much worse."_


	8. Chapter 6: Safest Place To Hide

**A/N: **Uh, I got nothing. Confined spaces lead to a semblance of 20 Questions which leads to someone trying to jump out of a bathroom window…again! Crazy kids…

Hope you like it!

**THANKS**:

Hopp: Thank you! I'm trying…as always.

Anon: Yay! Me too! Me neither! :]

M: Thank you! I hope so too!

**Disclaimer**: Song used: High Hopes In Velvet Ropes by The Cab (listen if you haven't already). I don't own BMW. I do own any/all mistakes – I've edited all but one scene, so if I've missed something…sorry!

**R&R or R&L please.**

**THANKS MUCHO!**

* * *

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Six

"Safest Place To Hide"

The G-Major conference room had never been so packed before. At least not that Jude could remember. If she moved her leg an inch she might as well be sitting on Tommy's lap.

The thought alone caused her to shudder.

"Hey, can you keep the spazzing out in my presence to a minimum. I'm trying to work here."

Jude turned her head slightly. Tommy had a pen lodged between his lips and a newspaper sitting on his lap. "And if by working you mean doodling penises all over the rags – "

"That was one time!"

A few people looked up from their computers and looked in Tommy's direction. His face flashed a shade of pink as he realized how loud he had been. Jude smirked. When a few of the secretaries pointed at Tommy over his shoulder, Jude started to laugh.

"Fucking Kwest," he muttered.

Jude rolled her eyes and grabbed the paper off his lap, making sure she didn't touch any part of him. Like she needed him making any more ridiculous comments.

"Jude! I was working on – "

Jude smacked Tommy's out-stretched hand away and glanced over the paper. Tommy was working on…a crossword puzzle? And he was doing it in pen?

What?

Her brows furrowed for a second until she realized he was staring at her. She tossed the paper back at him, hearing it fall to the floor. Tommy groaned as he reached down to pick it up.

As he sat back up, he stopped at Jude's ear, "And the next time you'd like to smack me, I'd prefer – "

Jude flipped him the bird, clenching her jaw.

The double doors of the conference room opened and the room instantly fell to a hush. Darius walked to the end of the table, opposite Jude and Tommy.

"We have a few things we still need to sort out, but in the mean time, you two are to lay low."

Jude nodded once. Laying low was something she could do. She'd go home, veg on the couch, maybe watch a movie. It would be relaxing. Something she desperately needed after all the G-Major chaos that had ensued.

"And in order to make sure that happens, I'm having the two of you taken to a special place of mine. You leave in 15 minutes."

Jude's eyes widened. "But – "she started. Loudly. She was not about to be shipped off to some secret location without her consent. Especially with Tommy.

Tommy reached out and squeezed Jude's knee. He knew she was new to the workings of Darius Mills, but she needed to learn when to keep her mouth shut. This was one of those times.

"Don't touch me!" Jude said, smacking Tommy on the hand.

"Are you two done?" Darius asked, clenching his jaw.

Jude sighed, her eyes downcast. She was tired of being yelled at.

"Yes," Tommy said curtly.

Jude nodded absentmindedly.

"Good. Now since we're all here, I'd like you to meet Alex Myers, our newly acquired producer."

A soft applause filtered into the room and when a low whistle sounded from behind her, Jude looked up. Holy Mother of –

The producer – who very well could have been Tommy's older twin – stood next to Darius, a smirk on his clean-shaven face. He filled out his suit in ways that most men could only dream of.

His eyes glided over the room until he reached Jude. Then he winked slowly at her. Under normal circumstances, Jude would have rolled her eyes or flipped him off. But Tommy took that opportunity to clear his throat and shuffle in his chair.

The idea that the mere presence of Alex Myers made Tommy uneasy made Jude smile, so she winked back at him.

Darius spouted out some other things that Jude didn't hear and the room began to clear out.

When Jude realized that she had spent the rest of the meeting staring at Alex and almost everyone had left, including Tommy, a rose blush formed on her face. She grabbed her bag and got out of her chair.

"You're Jude?"

Jude looked up to see Alex leaning against the table in front of her. She cleared her throat. "Yes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Alex said, extending his hand.

Jude smirked. So this is how it was done. "Back at ya," she said, shaking his hand. "Look, I'd love to sit and chat, but I have to get to time out, so…"

"I've heard." Alex smirked.

Jude rolled her eyes. "I bet."

"So…you and Tommy?"

Jude clenched her jaw and she noticed how Alex's smirk widened just a little. If she wasn't already in trouble she might have smacked it right off. Ass. "That's for another time."

Alex nodded his head and the smirk faded into a smile. "I know you're probably really busy with your Tommy issues and all, but I'm from LA and I don't know much about Toronto, so I was wondering if – "

The door opened slightly and Tommy's head poked out from the behind the steel. "Jude, we're waiting," Tommy said, slightly exasperated that he had to be the one to fetch her.

Jude stared at him for a split second and then turned her attention back to Alex. He held out a business card.

"I'd love to," she said, grabbing the card and walking toward the door. Tommy's eyes widened just slightly and Jude bit back a smile. She would pay Alex back for all his Tommy talk, but until then, Jude had some 'laying low' to do. She pushed passed Tommy and walked through G-Major's lobby with a shadow of a skip in her step.

**-M-**

The drive to the Darius' 'special place' was silent but deadly. Jude couldn't wait to get as far away from Tommy's immature ass as possible. When they got into the SUV Darius had planned for them to use, he proceeded to take up the entire backseat with his legs, leaving Jude barely any room to fit her slim body. Then he decided to play DJ.

In the 20 short minutes it took the driver to take them to their destination, she'd heard about someone's dead dog, a hoedown, two pina coladas, and a cheating spouse. And that was all from one song.

Jude clenched her jaw – she hated country music.

The driver drove into a parking garage and stopped a few seconds later at a service elevator. There stood two large men dressed in black.

Jude didn't notice the security guard that had ridden with them until her door opened and he motioned for her to get out. Jude slid to the edge of her seat and just as she was about to step down, she felt Tommy's hand on her lower back. The gesture scared her so much that she fell out of the car and onto the concrete floor.

Pain radiated from her hands to her butt and she clenched her jaw. "Asshole," she muttered. She glanced up and Tommy was biting back a laugh.

His gesture had been purely gentleman-like. The fact that she had fallen out of the car was completely accidental. But from the look on Jude's face, he could tell she was going to kill him if he touched her again.

And a part of him couldn't wait.

**-M-**

Darius' loft was the epitome of a modern bachelor pad. Black and white with punches of steel. If Jude cared anything about interior decorating the loft might have held some value to her, but now it only served as a prison and she desperately wanted to get rid of her cellmate.

A white leather modular sofa sat in the middle of the living room and Jude threw herself on it, tossing her bag to the floor. She curled in the fetal position, taking up most of the couch, and closed her eyes.

"You can't honestly be tired. You haven't done anything today."

Jude lifted one of her hands and flipped Tommy the bird.

The last thing she remembered was the soft sound of his laughter.

An hour passed and Jude awoke to the smell of pepperoni. Her stomach rumbled and she then remembered that the only thing she had fed it was coffee and more coffee.

Looking over the top of the couch, Jude saw three boxes of pizza sitting in the middle of the granite island in the kitchen. And no Tommy.

Jude sighed, pulling back a grey cashmere blanket. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't remember getting a blanket before falling asleep. That could only mean…

"And Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to grace us with her presence."

Jude groaned, closing her eyes. Why couldn't she just get one moment of Tommy-free peace? She looked over her shoulder to see him sitting on part of the window seat that anchored a far wall of just windows with a book in his hand.

"Bite me." Her voice was low and gravelly, still full of sleep.

Tommy couldn't respond. It wasn't that he had nothing to say. It was that the things in his head were not…appropriate. He was in no shape to tell Jude just how turned on he was by her voice.

Jude took Tommy's silence as a win and made her way to the kitchen.

After placing two slices of pizza on her paper plate, she walked to the kitchen table. The screech of metal against wood sounded as she pulled out her chair. A smirk formed on her face and when she looked at Tommy through her bangs, she could tell that it was warranted. He was staring at her with a grimace.

"Sorry," she said sardonically. He scoffed.

After a few silent minutes of Jude eating and Tommy doing whatever it was that he was doing, Tommy spoke. "Have you thought about what you're performing yet?"

Jude looked up from her plate, her eyes narrowed. "Performing for what?"

Tommy smirked, but Jude could see it wasn't out of amusement. He muttered some words to himself, none of which she could hear and then said, "If you had put your attention on things that matter instead of focusing on – "

"Fuck you." Jude crumpled a napkin and threw it in Tommy's direction. It landed a few feet in front of her. Tommy chuckled. Jude rolled her eyes. Her aim was always bad.

"There's a G-Major showcase next week. We're performing. So you better be ready. It's not really upstaging if you don't come prepared."

Jude flipped him the finger and went back her to pizza.

The semblance of a comfortable silence filled the loft in which Jude finished her pizza and started writing in her journal. She thought that maybe she could write a song, but the harder she tried the worse it sounded. She knew from experience that forcing something would never work. So she stopped trying so hard and started writing whatever came to the forefront of her head.

Out came a diary entry about how she was a little scared that Darius and Georgia wouldn't be able to squash her mistake. And about how much Tommy was…annoying her. Making her second guess herself. Exciting her? No. He wasn't. He couldn't. He was…Tommy Fucking Quincy.

"What's your song about?"

Jude froze. Why did he always start talking at the most inopportune moments? He needed a freaking bell for his mouth. She scoffed and looked up. "Like I'm really going to tell you."

"You do know I'm an award–winning producer, right?"

Jude rolled her eyes. "Yes, and before that you were in a one-hit wonder boy band, so no, I don't want any help from the peanut gallery."

Jude expected Tommy to yell or come back with an equally cutting remark, but instead – he laughed. The act startled her and before she knew it – she was laughing right alongside him.

When the laughter died, she rose out of her chair to stretch. Even the short amount of time she had been sitting to eat was beginning to bother her. Restlessness was starting to fill her limbs. She could feel it in her shoulders. In her calves. In her hands. Even in her ass, thanks to Tommy.

"My butt hurts."

Tommy looked up from his book. With his lips in a smile, a low laugh rumbled in his chest. "It was an accident. A complete accident."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Sure…"

"You want me to rub it?" he asked, an eyebrow cocked.

Jude opened her mouth, but the look in Tommy's eyes stopped her from saying what she was really thinking. "No. Darius would kill us."

Tommy groaned. "Probably."

As she lifted her arms over her head, Tommy noticed Jude's t-shirt rise. Normally a little skin wouldn't have bothered him, but the last few days had caused his thoughts to get a little jumbled. Heat travelled from his face to his feet and he knew if she didn't stop, he'd do something that would get them both in trouble.

When Jude bent over, it took all of Tommy's strength not to explode right then and there. He jumped and his book fell from his lap. Jude's head popped up and she saw Tommy staring at her.

He cleared his throat as nonchalantly as possible and leaned over to pick up his fallen book. When he sat back up, Jude was standing right in front of him.

"It's been fun, but I don't want to fight anymore," she said softly.

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, he nodded in agreement. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't so excited about it anymore either. It was starting to take a good amount of effort on his part to keep up with her and he would've rather put that effort to use in another fashion. If they were even allowed to that is.

Jude sat down on the window seat and looked out at the street below. People walked around, going off to do whatever it was that people did on a Thursday night. "I want out."

"Good luck with that one," Tommy said. He dropped his book on the floor and looked out the large window. Night was almost in full swing and he couldn't disagree with Jude's sentiments. Being locked up was no fun.

**-M-**

He didn't know how they ended up in this position. They had exchanged a few remarks and before he knew it, they were facing the ceiling.

Well sadly, it was not from that. It had just been...talking?

Fuck, he needed to get laid. He had a reputation to keep up, damn it!

They lay on the window seat, facing opposite directions, their heads meeting in the middle. If Tommy closed his eyes and lay perfectly still, he could feel her like she was right next to him. He breathed deeply and all he could smell was her.

"I'll start out easy," she remarked.

"Oh thanks," he said, laughing. The vibration from his voice running through the seat.

"Favorite color of M&M's?" He snorted slightly, thinking about how ridiculous the question was causing Jude to laugh. "And please don't pull a McConaughey."

"A what?"

"Matthew McConaughey. _The Wedding Planner_?"

He shook his head. "No, _The Wedding _Singer."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Wrong movie."

"Oh," he said. Film was not his forte. He knew it. He accepted it. But the fact that Jude seemed to actually like chick flicks was interesting to him. He was going to have to lock away that piece of information for later.

"Matthew's character is getting married, but he ends up falling for the wedding planner and in one scene, he and Jennifer Lopez end up talking about M&M's. He says the brown ones are his favorite cause chocolate is brown so there's no artificial coloring. But that's lame cause it's a candy coating, so there has to be some artificial coloring or else it's just chocolate and therefore not an M&M."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Oh kay."

"Shut up." A blush formed on Jude's face. So she had seen the movie enough to remember some of the scenes. It wasn't a crime.

"Green."

"Red. Like my hair."

Hair. Tommy smiled, remembering the way Jude's hair fanned across her face and how it tickled his –

"Your turn," Jude said, smacking him on the shoulder.

He groaned. "Fine. Favorite…movie? Mine is…"

"The Godfather," she finished, rolling her eyes. He was such a guy.

The tone of her voice did not sit well with Tommy. "What? It's a classic!"

"Yeah, because whacking people off is so great."

"Whatever. Let me guess, yours has to do with some teenage heartthrob like that Prinze guy."

"Dude, I'm not that old. He's like ancient." Tommy rolled his eyes. "He is. He's like as old as you – "

"I'm _not_ old." Tommy sat up, facing Jude. He hovered over her, leaning on his arms.

She looked up, her eyes widened. He was way too close for comfort. "I – Uh, okay. Maybe he's older. I…don't know."

"Nice backtracking, kid," Tommy said with a smirk.

Jude rolled her eyes and pushed him away. If they weren't in trouble, maybe she would have given in, but Darius's voice remained in the back of her head and she was going to make sure she kept her hands to herself.

**-M-**

Jude adjusted the pillow underneath her head. "Your leg is really uncomfortable."

Tommy rolled his eyes. They had moved from the window seat to the couch when Jude started to complain every five seconds about how her body hurt from laying on the seat for so long. She was such a princess sometimes.

"Deal with it. No one told you to lay on me."

"You take up the entire couch!" she started, looking up at him. "Where else was I supposed to lie down?"

Tommy shook his head, choosing to ignore her comments. If he had told her there was another couch, she was liable to punch him. "First kiss?"

Jude bit her bottom lip. "Brian Easton. Monkey bars during first grade."

"Cute," Tommy said, pinching Jude's cheek.

"Yeah," Jude said. "Then I slapped him after cause I had been so startled that I didn't know what was going on."

Tommy laughed. That sounded like a very Jude-like thing to do. "Well, then."

"You?"

Tommy jaw clenched. "Marla Keeton. Kindergarten."

"Aww…" Jude said, smacking Tommy on the thigh.

"It wasn't cool."

Jude picked up her head. "Really?"

"She got paint in my hair, the bitch."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"I don't care. She didn't listen to me. I told her not to touch my hair, but she did anyway."

Jude smiled. Watching Tommy get annoyed was pretty entertaining. "I'm sorry."

Tommy shook his head and leaned down, closer to Jude's face. "You can admit that I'm your favorite kiss though," he whispered.

Jude's jaw clenched slightly. "Your ego is already inflating. Gross."

"That's not my ego," Tommy said, smiling.

"Hmm…" Jude started, turning her head. "I can see that now. It's not as big."

Tommy groaned, closing his eyes. "I asked for that, didn't I?"

Jude nodded, laughing. The vibration spread through the couch and Tommy found himself started to smile because of it. "First girlfriend?"

Tommy opened his eyes and looked down at Jude. "Marla Keeton."

Jude's eyebrows rose. "What happened to her being a bitch?"

"Let's just say that the paint made for some fun later," Tommy said, winking.

Jude grimaced. "Gross."

"I'm kidding," Tommy said, ruffling Jude's hair. "She redeemed herself. She's the one who got me hooked on Mangella hair gel."

Jude's eyes widened. There was a rumor amongst BoyzAttack fans that Tommy owned stock in Magella or something equally disturbing like that. Jude couldn't really remember, but she was pretty sure Sadie had mentioned something like that before. "Oh lord, should I send her a thank you note or bomb her house?"

"Easy there, tiger."

Jude flipped him the bird. "Oh please, you love that shit probably as much as you do music."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that statement," he said, looking away.

Jude smirked, looking up at the ceiling. She took a deep breath and then asked, "What are your parents like?" Silence filled the room. Jude frowned. She sat up and saw that Tommy wasn't paying attention or pretending not to.

"T," Jude whispered. He still didn't look at her. Jude smacked Tommy's thigh.

"What?" Tommy turned his head.

Jude rolled her eyes. "What are you parents like?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip. "I'd really rather not – "

Jude didn't need Tommy to finish. She probably shouldn't have asked to begin with. It's not like she wanted to take about her parents either. "Got it. Do you have any siblings?"

Tommy nodded his head. "I have a brother, Tristan, but we're not that close."

"Really? Why?"

Tommy sighed. "BoyzAttack." Jude grimaced. "Yeah, he wasn't too fond of me leaving home and doing the rockstar thing. He probably hates Lil' Tommy Q more than I do."

Jude smirked. "We'd have something in common then."

Tommy rolled his eyes. He'd learned to deal with everything that came with BoyzAttack. Some of it had been easier than the rest – like the girls and the constant recognition. But there was something about it all that always left a sour taste in his mouth. It might have been the fact that he had actually worked hard and yet people still thought he was fake. Music had been the one thing he was good at and it always came from the heart. Having people who didn't believe that pissed him off. Tommy turned and looked at Jude. "Why did you write your song?"

Jude blanked. What the fuck? Had their conversation always been leading up to this? It didn't really matter. A subject change wouldn't do anything but make it worse. So she smiled like a pageant queen when all she wanted to do was punch a wall. "To get you back for your song, duh."

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed. "The song isn't want you think it is. It never was."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jude couldn't tell if this explanation was really for her or more for Tommy's conscience.

"I feel like you need to understand. Today was bad. It was wrong. I should have never yelled at you like that or said the things I did, but I felt like you lied to me."

"Uh huh." Jude folded her arms across her chest.

"Kwest said I need to purge my confusion so we wrote a song and that was it. It was like – well, my mindset was you, but when it came down to it…it wasn't…"

Even with the non-believers, he never had the urge to explain himself or his music. They just – were. But this was Jude. She had been different from the very beginning and he had let her – let her mess with him.

It was so fucked up, but her face – the look in her eyes. He just wanted her to understand.

"If you actually listen to the song – it's not really about you. It's about me."

Her brow furrowed and he took a deep breath before beginning to softly sing. "_It's not that your lipstick failed / But girl, I was just born to bail / I do it better on my own –"_

She closed her eyes and shook her head. It didn't matter how soft his voice was or how much sadness his eyes held as he sang to her. It was still fucked up.

"You could have been The One – not that I believe in that kind of shit – and I still would have left. It's what I do. It was never about you."

_It was never about you_.

She wouldn't admit it, but it hurt more than she imagined hearing that. Was it wrong that she wanted it to be about her? That she wanted to matter – even in that fucked up way?

Yes. So wrong.

She was not that girl. She never had been. And she wasn't going to start now.

Not even for some dude with gorgeous blue eyes.

Jude sighed. This was not how she had expected this conversation to go. Not that she really had any expectations to begin with.

"Fine. Whatever," she said, opening her eyes. She could act like it didn't matter. Because it didn't.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that."

Jude clenched her jaw. "I'm not being like anything. I guess I just thought that – never mind." She got off of the couch and began to walk to her bag. Tommy covered the ground between them quickly and grabbed her arm before she could walk away.

"Hey Jude – " he started. Her eyes darted towards him and she glared. "Sorry."

He let go of her arm, but she didn't walk away like he thought she would.

She sighed. "I thought that I could let go of this – this fucked up situation, but I guess I can't. I'll find a way to deal with it though because I have to. I just – I know that I don't matter – "

"Don't say that, Jude. You do matter."

She couldn't look him in the eyes. She could hear the pity in voice and it made her angry enough to clench her jaw. "I know. Just not to you. You made that very clear. But that's not even what this is about. It's – that song is – " Jude shook her head. "I mean, I don't do things like fuck around with random strangers and – "

"I'm not _that_ random. I'm Lil' Tommy Q."

"And that makes it so much worse."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Excuse you?"

"I've gone against everything I've believed. I mean, you're fucking Lil' Tommy Q and I was a huge – "

"I _was_ Lil' Tommy Q." Why didn't anyone understand that?

"In the hearts of BoyzAttack fans everywhere, you _are_ Lil' Tommy Q."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest like a pouting five-year-old.

Jude shook her head and walked away towards the hallway, leaving Tommy to his own devices.

**-M-**

When Jude had walked away, Tommy had decided he wasn't going to chase her. He didn't chase girls. That made things messy. Messes were the complete opposite of the way he worked. Especially when it came to business. He figured he'd give Jude some time and space and she'd come back on her own.

But when 30 minutes had passed and she still hadn't come back from wherever she had gone, Tommy began to worry.

He flicked the light switch on and hallway became illuminated. He began his trek down the narrow corridor, opening every door he came across. After two bedrooms and a linen closet, Tommy started to lose his patience.

"Jude!"

Silence. Then he noticed the bathroom door was slightly ajar. Dread swept over him and he shook his head.

"She wouldn't."

When he pushed the door open, he realized she did. Crisp night air flew through the open window that was situated next to the toilet. Just beyond it sat the fire escape, mocking him in the fluorescent street light. The wind ran over his arms and goose bumps formed. He walked to the window, ready to shut it. When he looked out the window and into the street, Tommy sighed. There in the middle of the alley was Jude standing next to a shiny BMW. She opened the passenger door and slipped inside. He clenched his jaw, slamming the window shut. The glass rattled and Tommy could feel anger course through his veins.

Walking out of the bathroom, he pulled out his cell phone. He was not about to get into even more trouble. Not for Jude.

* * *

Preview**:**

**High Hopes In Velvet Ropes**

Chapter Seven

"GMajor Showcase"

"_Thanks to you and your big mouth, I've been put on house arrest," Jude said through clenched teeth._

_Tommy shrugged. "Hey, that's what happens when you don't play by the rules."_

**-M-**

_I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over  
Before it began  
Keep your drink just give me the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight  
_  
**-M-**

_It's only a crime  
If I get caught  
Only if I – if I get caught  
It's only a line if it gets bought_

You're not getting much because I haven't written much. Sorry! But I hear that Jude's escapades have not gone unseen by a certain photographer. ;]


End file.
